The government in Canada is willing to restore diplomatic relations with Iran but there are certain obstacles that have hindered the process, says a Foreign Ministry official.
"The Canadians have expressed interest in resuming relations between the two countries. This interest has been expressed by the new Canadian government, and they are willing to have relations," Mohammad Keshavarz-Zadeh, who is in charge of American affairs at the ministry, told the Persian-language Shargh newspaper in an interview published on Tuesday.
Ottawa closed its embassy in Tehran and expelled Iranian diplomats in 2012, calling Iran “the biggest threat to global security” at the time.
The move came after the UK Embassy in the Iranian capital was stormed in 2011 in protest against new sanctions imposed by London and then closed. Britain reopened its embassy in 2015.
The Canadian announcement then had offered a long list of grievances for cutting ties, including Iran’s nuclear program, hostility toward Israel, assistance to Syria, and alleged support for terrorist groups. Tehran denies backing terrorism.
Main Hurdles
Asked about the biggest hindrance to reestablishment of ties, Keshavarz-Zadeh said, "The problem that the Canadians created was that they stripped Iranian representatives of political immunity."
Although they still enjoy "diplomatic immunity", the decision made the situation more difficult, he added.
In 2012, Canada designated Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism. The designation lifted Iran’s state immunity, opening the door for victims of the alleged Iranian sponsored terrorism in the US to sue Tehran for damages, according to the Toronto-based National Post newspaper.
Normally, under international law, the courts of one state cannot allow legal action against another country. Iran argues that it is immune from prosecution in Canada, that the damage awards from the US far exceeded what is allowable in Canada and the judgments violate international law.
Keshavarz-Zadeh said that “we believe Iran-Canada relations need to restored to the level before 2012.”
The official said several rounds of "positive" negotiations have been held between the two sides in Iran, New York and Europe but the Canadians have been "dragging their feet" on taking practical steps due to the pressure they are facing from those against improved Tehran-Ottawa relations.
It is also difficult to work through Canada's administrative process, he added, saying that the situation has affected a large number of people requiring consular assistance or other legal services.
According to Keshavarz-Zadeh, around 400,000 to half a million Iranians live in the North American country.
In 2013, it was announced that Oman will look after Iranian affairs in Canada, and Italy was named the protector of Canada’s interests in Tehran.
Safe Haven
In addition, the Foreign Ministry official said Canada has become a "safe haven" for financially corrupt Iranians and criticized the country's reluctance to help extradite them to Iran.
In one of the most high-profile cases, Mahmoud Reza Khavari, the former head of state-owned Bank Melli, fled to Canada in the wake of Iran’s biggest-ever financial scandal.
Khavari, who obtained Canadian citizenship in 2005, was last year sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison for “disrupting the economic system.” He was given another 10-year sentence for bribery.
