Iran slams Canada’s sanctions as ‘baseless’ and ‘meddlesome’

An Iranian Foreign Ministry official has sharply condemned Canada’s latest sanctions on Iranian officials, calling the move “baseless,” “meddlesome,” and devoid of legal or moral legitimacy.

In a statement on Friday, Forouzandeh Vadiati, Director General of Human Rights at Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said the sanctions reflect the “arrogant mindset” of Canadian decision-makers.

She said Ottawa’s action was taken “under the pretext of unfounded claims” and described it as a clear case of interference in Iran’s internal affairs.

Ottawa has “no legal or moral basis” to raise human rights accusations against Iran, she said, adding that Canada is a country with a record of “systematic suppression of the human rights of indigenous peoples.”

She added that Canada also has a “long history of complicity with the genocidal Israeli regime in the massacre of the Palestinian people and aggression against other countries in the region.”

“Such a government has no legitimacy to make deceitful human rights claims against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” she said.

Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand announced on Monday that Ottawa had imposed sanctions on four senior Iranian officials, accusing them of involvement in “gross and systematic human rights violations.”

The sanctioned individuals were named as Mohsen Karimi, Ahmad Kadem Seyedoshohada, Mustafa Mohebbi, and Hassan Akharian.

Iran rebukes Canada’s new sanctions as deceitful, in breach of international law

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has strongly denounced the latest round of Canadian sanctions against the Islamic Republic, characterizing them as “deceitful” and “in violation of international law.”

Vadiati also criticized Canada’s broader policies toward Iran, including the unilateral severance of diplomatic relations and the denial of consular services to Iranian nationals living in Canada.

She described these measures as “a blatant violation of human rights.”

“Canada’s unilateral sanctions against Iran target the economic, social, and cultural rights of the Iranian people,” Vadiati said.

She added that the Canadian government “must be held accountable for the negative consequences of its actions, which in some cases amount to crimes against humanity.”

The Iranian diplomat urged Canadian authorities to abandon politicization and evasion, and instead focus on addressing human rights abuses inside their country, including the “torture and mass killings of indigenous children,” and to halt actions that violate the rights of other nations.

Canada broke off diplomatic ties with Iran and closed its Tehran embassy in a surprise move in 2012, citing Tehran’s nuclear file, Iran’s support for former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s government, and alleged threats to the Israeli regime.

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