Canada abruptly closed its embassy in Iran and expelled Iranian diplomats in Ottawa Friday, citing safety concerns in Tehran and the long-standing view that Iran is a significant threat to global peace.
"The Iranian regime has shown blatant disregard for the Vienna Convention and its guarantee of protection for diplomatic personnel," Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Friday, formally listing Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism.
"Under the circumstances, Canada can no longer maintain a diplomatic presence in Iran,â he said in a statement. âOur diplomats serve Canada as civilians and their safety is our No. 1 priority."
A senior official told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ there was a credible threat to Canadian diplomats in Iran.
Baird said the Iranian regimeâs support of Syrian president Bashar Assad, Iranâs refusal to comply with the UNâs resolutions on its nuclear program and its regular threats to Israel make it âamong the worldâs worst violators of human rights.â
âThis was a decision that we took very seriously,â Baird told CTVâs Power Play Friday afternoon in a telephone interview from Russia, where he is attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Baird denied that the move was a preemptive response to a planned Israeli attack on Iran, as some observers have speculated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly hinted that he is prepared to authorize an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities if international sanctions and diplomatic measures donât do the trick.
âWeâve received no notice from any other countryâŚthat there is any imminent military action,â Baird said, adding: âUnequivocally no.â
He said Ottawa waited to formally sever ties with Iran until all Canadian diplomats and embassy staff safely left the country. The last members of the group left Iran yesterday, he said.
Iranian diplomats in Ottawa have been instructed to leave within five days.
A note written in Persian and posted on the door of the Iranian embassy in Ottawa read: "Because of the hostile decision by the government of Canada, the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Ottawa is closed and has no choice but to stop providing any consular services for its dear citizens.â
On Friday, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada issued an advisory against all travel to Iran.
âBecause of heightened regional tensions, Canadians travellers in Iran will be closely watched by Iranian authorities,â reads a statement on the departmentâs website. âIranian irritation at the recent Embassy closure may heighten this scrutiny of Canadians.â
Canadians were warned that using cameras in public places in Iran, travelling beyond well-established tourist areas, and casual interactions with Iranians could lead to an investigation and harassment.
âCanadian travellers may be arbitrarily questioned, arrested and detained for a long period,â the statement reads.
Those seeking services of the Canadian consulate in Iran are being directed to the embassy in Turkey.
Bairdâs announcement âa bold strokeâ
Although Canada's relations with Iran have been strained at times since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, many political observers are questioning Ottawaâs sudden decision to sever diplomatic ties with the country.
âI really canât see the rationale of this move,â former Canadian ambassador to Iran, Kenneth Taylor, told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel Friday.
âItâs a very bold stroke to sever diplomatic relations and close the embassy within five days.â
If, as Baird argues, Iran poses such a big threat, itâs more important to have Canadian officials on the ground who can âsize up the situation and report from the spot,â Taylor said.
He added that Iran will either âplay this up big or shrug it off.â
According to Iranâs semi-official Fars news agency, a spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry, Ramin Mehmanparast, called Canada's decision "hasty and extreme" and said that Iran would soon respond.
The NDP called Bairdâs decision irresponsible.
"What this is showing the world is that when it comes to engagement and trying to work on these difficult problems that require robust diplomacy, we're just walking away," the partyâs foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar said.
"I don't see how this is going to help. It might be good rhetoric but it's not good diplomacy."
Miriam Ziv, Isrealâs ambassador to Canada, told Power Play that Bairdâs announcement was âa very welcome move,â since Iran has not responded to condemnations from the international community over its nuclear program and human rights violations.
Asked about a potential military strike against Iran, Ziv said that âall options are on the table,â reiterating the Israeli governmentâs previous responses to the question.
At this point, Israel is still focused on exerting pressure on Iran by way of international sanctions, which must get tougher, Ziv said.
A history of diplomatic tensions
The Canadian embassy in Iran was also closed in the 1980s for eight years after Canadians spirited American diplomats out of Tehran during the post-revolution hostage crisis.
The two countries eventually returned to normal diplomatic relations with an exchange of ambassadors in 1996.
The relationship chilled again in 2003 after a freelance photographer with dual Canadian-Iranian citizenship was killed while in custody in Iran.
Canada described the death as a state-sanctioned murder and recalled its ambassador.
During a meeting with Russiaâs foreign affairs minister on Friday, Baird said he delivered Canadaâs condemnation of Iran âin no uncertain terms.â
He also asked Russia to reconsider its support of the Assad regime.
Russia has blocked UN Security Council resolutions that would have sanctioned the Assad regime, which has been trying to put down an 18-month uprising.
With a report from CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife and files from The Canadian Press