[jaycola]

Source

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has severed ties with Iran over its sponsorship of terrorism and amid fears about the safety of Canadian diplomats in the country.

Mr. Baird says the Canadian embassy in Tehran will close immediately and Iranian diplomats in Canada have been given five days to leave.He says he’s worried about the safety of diplomats in Tehran following recent attacks on the British embassy there.

“The Iranian regime has shown blatant disregard for the Vienna Convention and its guarantee of protection for diplomatic personnel,” he said in a statement.

“Under the circumstances, Canada can no longer maintain a diplomatic presence in Iran. Our diplomats serve Canada as civilians, and their safety is our No. 1 priority.”

He also condemned the regime as a sponsor of terrorism.

“Canada views the government of Iran as the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world today,” he said.

He recited a litany of complaints about Iran, including its support for the Assad regime in Syria, its refusal to comply with UN resolutions about its nuclear program, its threats to Israel and its abysmal human rights record.

Foreign Affairs is also warning ordinary Canadians to avoid any travel to Iran.

People seeking Canadian consular services in Iran are being directed to the embassy in Turkey.

Canada’s relations with Iran have varied since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. After Canadians spirited American diplomats out of Tehran in 1980 during the post-revolution hostage crisis, the Canadian embassy was closed for eight years.

The two countries slowly moved back to normal diplomatic relations with an exchange of ambassadors in 1996.

But the relationship chilled in 2003 after Zahra Kazemi, a freelance photographer with dual Canadian-Iranian citizenship, was killed in custody in Iran in what Canada described as a state-sanctioned murder. Canada recalled its ambassador.

After Kerry's speech at the Democratic convention last night and Canada closing it's embassy, I think there may be something afoot. Let's see if other NATO countries follow suit.