Friday, September 7, 2012

Canada Closes Embassy in Iran, Expels Iranian Diplomats from Canada

Oh yeah, Iran is about to attack Canada with missiles and terrorists.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement:
Canada has closed its embassy in Iran, effective immediately, and declared personae non gratae all remaining Iranian diplomats in Canada.

Canada’s position on the regime in Iran is well known. Canada views the Government of Iran as the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world today.

The Iranian regime is providing increasing military assistance to the Assad regime; it refuses to comply with UN resolutions pertaining to its nuclear program; it routinely threatens the existence of Israel and engages in racist anti-Semitic rhetoric and incitement to genocide; it is among the world’s worst violators of human rights; and it shelters and materially supports terrorist groups, requiring the Government of Canada to formally list Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism under the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act.

Moreover, the Iranian regime has shown blatant disregard for the Vienna Convention and its guarantee of protection for diplomatic personnel. Under the circumstances, Canada can no longer maintain a diplomatic presence in Iran. Our diplomats serve Canada as civilians, and their safety is our number one priority.

Diplomatic relations between Canada and Iran have been suspended. All Canadian diplomatic staff have left Iran, and Iranian diplomats in Ottawa have been instructed to leave within five days.
(Via The Big Petrovski)

12 comments:

  1. Just in case anyone thought getting Bibi to shut the hell up, meant the Imperialist Powers were backing off.

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  2. Another way to think of this is as more of a "could be good news -- could be bad news" kinda thing:

    http://english.economicpolicyjournal.com/2012/08/words-of-war-regarding-conscription-and.html

    My conclusion was meant to imply that if another mysterious explosion or sinister computer worm or street violence assassination of some nuclear technician were to emerge in unsourced news reports of rumors, then the likelihood of kinetic operations is actually reduced - DC has convinced Bibi to give their DOOs more time; probably till after the election. If, on the other hand, this topic gets radio silent all of a sudden, a few well-timed CL contracts on the dips couldn't hurt too much. Or a few shares of UCO for those who don't care for the leverage.

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  3. Thanks, Ellis. Here's your full comment for the benefit of anyone who's feeling click lazy :->

    Ellis WyattSeptember 7, 2012 12:19 PM
    An interesting development here: Canada expels Iranian diplomats, closes its embassy in Tehran.

    http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/canada-closes-iran-embassy-says-tehran-most-significant-threat-to-world-peace-1.463477

    https://twitter.com/markmackinnon/status/244083941965955072

    The glaring omission in the official statements is the lack of mention of any triggering event.

    The step of declaring Persona Non Grata ("Pinged") all Iranian diplomats in Canada, and expelling them under a deadline, is most commonly the conventional diplomatic response to a discovery of espionage activity against the pinging nation. The PNG declaration is one of the rare snapshot moments when the umbilical link between foreign diplomatic presence and foreign intelligence activity is briefly, though opaquely, visible.

    If the Iranians were operating against the Canadian embassy, their target was almost certainly not Canada, but its looped-in allies. The discovery of specific counter-espionage on Iran's part, if one was made, would weaken Tehran in the ongoing shadow war. Canadian diplomatic pouches would not be the place to look for any warning of imminent military action. The payload sought would more likely be communications associated with any ongoing covert or clandestine activities on the ground in Iran. It is notable that "Canadian" is the sole notional non-US country of origin that most pale-face US intelligence officers can credibly claim when openly moving about in the world's non-Western locales. It would be reasonable, if any of this were true, to expect another round of "bad luck" in the Iranian nuclear program, as chess pieces are shuffled around, prior to any overt military moves. It is possible to imagine Iranian nationals being given parting gifts with which to carry out their farewell instructions. It is also possible that if the last remaining human collection window for the US just got slammed shut, another step up the ladder to outright aggression was just mounted.

    A word that has been used by a lot of DC insider observers of the US president lately has been "desperate." Let's welcome the weekend with hopes that those assertions are the usual empty partisan mud slinging, not out of any love for the president, but merely because "desperate" is no frame of mind in which to make a military decision compounded by fresh blindness.

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  4. I'm pretty sure all of the 'reasons' listed for doing this (except for the parts about Syria and Israel) is true about the US too:

    "it refuses to comply with UN resolutions pertaining to its nuclear program"

    The US isn't complying either. No one has dismantled anything and Iran is allowed to have nuclear power.

    "it is among the world’s worst violators of human rights; and it shelters and materially supports terrorist groups"

    More prisoners than China. Financing regimes all over the world as long as they play ball and performing proxy wars.

    "Moreover, the Iranian regime has shown blatant disregard for the Vienna Convention and its guarantee of protection for diplomatic personnel."

    What's Julian Assange's take on that statement?

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  5. Obama's war contingent in Canada is performing on cue. These birds are infatuated with the Great war Machine below the 49th. parallel, and are willing to please the Prince of Peace.

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  6. They expelled the wrong warmongering "terrorists" because the US embassy is still open.

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  7. I am Canadian and I endorse this message.

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  8. Looks like the North American Union is preparing for another war in the middle east; not to mention a huge outpouring of support came from the people of Iran after 9/11. Far greater men than I declared that Western Civilization was screwed decades ago. This seems to be how the end is playing out. Hopefully decentralization will occur out of this whole sh***ing mess.

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  9. I guess they don't consider North Korea any threat? Naw, they already have nuclear weapons. No threat at all.

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  10. Ask yourself why someone blackmailed Canada into this at this time after a general rebuked Israel's attack on Iran. Given Canada's position in the world visavis reputation of being fair and honest and respected for its world role to the point of Canadians being hugged and welcomed into peoples homes almost everywhere they go and you'll understand exactly why this manuver was pulled and why now.

    Www3 here we come.

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  11. Fuck John Baird, Steven Harper and his entire party. How did these assholes get elected? I don't know of anyone who supports them, and I'm in a riding with a Conservative MP.

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