Canada Cuts Diplomatic Ties with Iran

[CentreHice]

Article

Canadian diplomats in Tehran ordered home.

Iran's diplomats given 5 days to vacate Canada.

I like this move from Harper....the Code of Conduct on this board stops me from going fully into why. But I'll state it in person wherever I go.

Somebody's gotta take a stand against regimes like this one.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

He's right about Iran. They have a lot of fingers in a lot of Middle East pies. The last time Israel went into Lebanon, they met up with Hezbollah infantry and got smoked. However, as Netanyahu pointed out, Hezbollah are nothing more that forward Iranian infantry with rockets. This is consistent with Iran supporting Assad in Syria.

Odd thing to say, but had the USA left Hussein alone I don't think we'd be seeing Iran as much of a threat as they are now. Hussein was a tyrant, yes, but he provided stability in the region as well. Heck, even the US media has admitted to that.

However, Stephen Harper also has his hands full with China as well. From today's Toronto Sun:

Chinese state-owned firms have poured billions of dollars into Canadian companies, particularly in the resource sector. And now, a Chinese firm, CNOOC, has made a $15-billion bid to buy Nexen Inc. of Calgary, an oil-and-gas producer that owns rights to mines in Alberta's oilsands ...

... Harper also noted that CNOOC's bid for Nexen is special because CNOOC is, for all intents and purposes, an arm of China's communist government.

"One of the issues that does makes this somewhat different - and it is a different category under the [Foreign Investment Review] Act - is that we're dealing with a state-owned enterprise."

Son of a gun, eh? Now the Chinese government wants to own a part of the richest oil deposits in the world.

Harper has a full plate.

Cheers.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

PM Harper recently expelled Iranian diplomats out of Canada. He also closed the Canadian embassy in Tehran as well.

The PM went on to declare Iran as a state sponsor of terror.

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Canada declares Iran a state sponsor of terror

By David Akin, Parliamentary Bureau Chief

First posted: Friday, September 07, 2012 09:45 AM EDT | Updated: Friday, September 07, 2012 10:18 PM EDT

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia — Canada has placed Iran on its list of state sponsors of terrorism and has shut down its embassy in Tehran, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said.

Baird, speaking to reporters ahead of the opening of the annual summit of Pacific nation leaders here, said the skeleton Canadian Embassy staff in Tehran has been withdrawn for their own safety.

Canada is also expelling all Iranian diplomats in Canada.

"Canada views the government of Iran as the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world today," Baird said. "The government of Canada is formally listing Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism."

Baird said the federal government is also officially warning Canadians not to travel to Iran.

"We feel that it's no longer safe to have representatives of the government of Canada in Tehran," Baird said.

There has been increased speculation in the Israeli press that Israel is preparing to attack Iran to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb. But, in a statement e-mailed to reporters, Baird seemed to rule out the idea that Canada has some inside intelligence about any pending military action against Iran.

"Unequivocally, we have no information about a military strike on Iran," Baird said in a statement e-mailed to reporters after a brief scrum here.

"This action is a made-in-Ottawa action and we're acting alone in this regard," Baird told reporters.

Moreover, under the Conservatives' recently adopted Justice for the Victims of Terrorism Act, the list of countries Canada has named as "state sponsors of terrorism" must be published by Sept. 13.

Pressed several times by reporters about why Canada was taking this action now, Baird rattled off a long list of grievances Canada has with Iran:

— Iran refuses to comply with the United Nations resolutions pertaining to its nuclear program

— Increasing military assistance to the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad

— Iran shelters and "materially supports" terrorist groups

— Routine threats to the existence of the state of Israel

— Repeated violations of the Vienna Convention which governs diplomatic relations between most countries of the world

— "Racist anti-Semitic rhetoric and incitement to genocide," Baird said.

— Worst violators of human rights.

"Under the circumstances, Canada can no longer maintain a diplomatic presence in Tehran," Baird said. "There's a just a long list of reasons why we're coming to this decision."

Baird said all Canadian diplomats have already left Iran.

www.torontosun.com/2012/09/07/canada-closes-embassy-in-iran (link)

[Disgruntled70sHab]

Found this clip. By closing the embassy the government is removing a target.

www.torontosun.com/videos/1828463502001