There are at least 3,000 Canadian citizens and permanent residents in Iran as protests and a brutal government crackdown hit the country with which Canada no longer has diplomatic relations.
Canadians in Iran are being urged to “leave now” if it is safe to do so and cross into Turkey or Armenia to access any diplomatic support services.
Despite diplomatic relations, Canada and Iran do not have embassies or diplomatic staff in each other’s countries.
Italy acts as what is known as Canada’s “protecting power” in Iran, with limited diplomatic capabilities to handle emergency cases.
Switzerland acts on that role for Iran in Canada, and the Iranian embassy that was closed in Ottawa was vandalized earlier this week.
But it wasn’t – so how did we get here?
How do relationships end?
The strained labor relations date back more than a decade.
The Conservative government led by former prime minister Stephen Harper imposed economic sanctions on Iran in 2010 over fears that Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons.
The federal government at the time said this was done “in consultation with like-minded partners, including the United States and the European Union.”
Soon after, the government suspended all bilateral trade with Iran and severed all diplomatic ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2012.
The freeze in diplomatic relations in 2012 revealed Iran’s “increased military aid” to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad as he brutally put down the Arab Spring protests, which included his use of chemical weapons against his own people.
Former foreign minister John Baird, in a statement, called Iran “the greatest threat to global peace and security in the world” at the time, and Canada designated Iran as a “state sponsor of terrorism.”
The Canadian embassy in Tehran was closed on September 7, 2012.
All Iranian diplomats in Canada were expelled and Canadians in Iran were asked to go to the Canadian embassy in Ankara, Turkey, for help.
Shortly after Canada closed its embassy, Ottawa designated Italy as its protecting power.
In 2015, Canada’s new Liberal government under then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to restore relations after the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA.
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As part of the deal, Iran agreed to limit any activities in its nuclear program that could lead to the production of weapons-grade uranium.
In return, many countries agreed to lift some of the sanctions against Tehran.
In February 2016, Canada lifted certain sanctions against Iran “to contribute to international efforts to realize progress made under the JCPOA.”
However, some restrictions remained on “Iran’s access to critical assets from Canada, particularly in relation to nuclear proliferation and ballistic missile development.”
The meltdown didn’t last long.
In 2018, the first administration of US President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal.
“We will impose the highest economic sanctions. Any country that helps Iran in its pursuit of nuclear weapons will also be greatly tolerated by the United States,” said Trump.
In 2019, Canada accused Iran of “further” reducing compliance with the nuclear deal, “including increasing enrichment activities and increasing the amount of highly enriched uranium.”
On January 3, 2020, the US killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike, and on January 5, Iran announced that it was completely withdrawing from its obligations under the nuclear deal.
Iran launched retaliatory strikes on US assets in the Middle East on Jan. 7, and on Jan. 8, Iran shot down a passenger plane departing from Tehran.
The downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 killed 176 passengers and crew, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.
Mahsa Amini protests and beyond
On September 16, 2022, Mahsa Amini, 22, died in a hospital in Tehran.
The Iranian government said Amini, who was arrested for violating the Iranian government’s hijab laws, suffered a heart attack at a police station and collapsed before reaching the hospital. However, the report soon appeared, citing eyewitnesses who said that he was severely beaten by the police and died from his injuries.
His death sparked a wave of mass protests against the Iranian regime in recent years.
Canada responded by imposing sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s notorious “morality police,” and named a street after Amini in Ottawa.
Trudeau said the Iranian regime was “bloodthirsty” and that Canada would punish the people most involved in Iran’s wrongdoing.
In 2024, Canada listed the IRGC as a terrorist organization under the Criminal Code. Last year, Canada joined the United States and 12 European allies in condemning what they called “a growing number of state threats” by Iran’s intelligence services against foreigners, including dissidents, journalists and Jewish citizens in their countries.
A joint statement issued by the US State Department called Iran’s efforts to “kill, kidnap, and torture people in Europe and North America” a “flagrant violation” of those nations’ sovereignty.
Last month, Tehran classified the Royal Canadian Navy as a terrorist organization.
What are the things now?
As mass protests against the Iranian regime have intensified this month, with an estimated 2,000 people dead so far, Canada said it “strongly condemns the horrific killing of protesters in Iran.”
“We have repeatedly called on the Iranian authorities to stop the persecution of their people, and to end repressive tactics including violence, arbitrary detention and intimidation.”
Due to the lack of a Canadian embassy in Tehran, Canada’s ability to provide consular services in Iran is “extremely limited,” the government noted in statements about the ongoing protests.
While many airlines have suspended flights to and from Iran, land crossings to Turkey and Armenia remain open. Anyone with a Canadian passport does not need a visa to enter those countries, says Global Affairs Canada (GAC).
Canadians can also contact the Emergency Watch and Response Center in Ottawa, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, GAC said.
– With files from The Canadian Press
