A thaw in Iran-Canada ties? Tehran says ‘ready for talks' to restart relations
Iran has stated that it is ready for talks with Canada to restart diplomatic relations. Canada severed its diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012, citing the state's support for the Assad regime in Syria, terrorism and fear for the safety of Canadian diplomats among many other reasons.
13 years after this decision, Tehran has stated it is ready for talks to restart the diplomatic ties which were "unilaterally" frozen by Canada.
During a media briefing in Tehran, Esmail Baghaei, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, said that Iran is ready to talk with Canada, as long as Ottawa makes the first move.
"The relationship was frozen unilaterally by Canada, not by Iran. And we never welcomed that decision because we think that decision was not for the benefit of either of the two nations," he was quoted as saying by CBC News.
"I think the first step they have to take is to unravel the many sanctions and restraints that they have imposed on themselves and on our bilateral relations," the spokesperson added further.
Diplomatic relations between Iran and Canada were established in 1956 and 1959 with the opening of the respective embassies.
However, following the Iranian revolution of 1979, ties between Iran and Canada hit a snag, ultimately leading to the closure of the Canadian embassy in Tehran in 1980.
In 2003, ties between Canada and Tehran hit a major roadblock after the killing of Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian-Canadian freelance journalist.
Kazemi, who stayed in Montreal, was arrested while taking pictures outside a prison in Tehran during a student protest. Three weeks after her detention, she was killed. While Iran has stated her death was accidental, a former military staff physician revealed that her death was due to physical torture during custody.
This information was revealed after the former military officer, Shahram Azam, applied for asylum in Canada in 2004. Since Kazemi's death, Iran and Canada have accused each other of human rights abuses.
In 2010, Canada imposed economic sanctions and restricted all financial transactions and activities which were beneficial to the Iranian government.
In 2012, then Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird announced that Canada would be severing its ties with Iran.
The Canadian government, then led by Stephen Harper, cited Tehran 's ambition for a nuclear weapon, its non-compliance with the UN, support for the dictatorship of the now ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and human rights abuses, among other reasons.
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