Canada insists on continuing diplomacy with Iran, except for regime change

JAKARTA - Canadian Foreign Minister (Menlu) Anita Anand, stressed that her country would not open diplomatic relations with Iran unless there was a regime change.

"The repressive Iranian regime must reduce its consistent and illegal human rights violations, including by respecting international law and international humanitarian law," he told the Globe and Mail newspaper in an interview on Saturday in Germany, where he was attending the Munich Security Conference, Antara quoted.

Anand also announced that Canada imposed additional sanctions on seven people "associated with Iranian state bodies, responsible for transnational intimidation, violence, and repression targeting Iranian dissidents and human rights defenders."

Canada severed ties with Iran in 2012 under then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper over human rights concerns and has since maintained sanctions and trade restrictions while pursuing international legal action related to the downing of the passenger plane carrying Canadians.

Anand said Ottawa's regional focus is on addressing human rights abuses and declined to say whether Canada would support a US military strike, which has now strengthened its military presence in the Middle East by deploying a second aircraft carrier and additional destroyers, fighter jets and surveillance planes.