Ten Islamic Republic Men Face Deportation From Canada

Canadian officials have told Iran International that 10 individuals affiliated with the Islamic Republic have been found “inadmissible” and must leave the country.

Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) spokesperson Maria Ladouceur stated that “To date 10 individuals have been reported inadmissible by the CBSA for being a senior official in the Iranian regime.”

She added that nine of these individuals have been referred for an admissibility hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, as one of them has already left the country. The CBSA also urged Iranians residing in Canada to provide any information they have about affiliates of the Islamic Republic to the agency.

Only one of the 10 has been identified so far as Salman Samani, 42, a former high-ranking Iranian interior ministry official living in Toronto. As reported by Global News, Canadian authorities have initiated proceedings against the former deputy interior minister, who is the subject of sanctions imposed a year ago against officials of the Iranian regime. Anna Pape, spokesperson for the Refugee Board, confirmed that Samani's case “was referred for an admissibility hearing on November 10, 2023.”

The Interior Ministry is in charge of Iran’s domestic security and police branches, which have been implicated in widespread human rights abuses. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi is a former IRGC general and has been sanctioned by Canada, the US and Europe. The US Treasury has determined that Vahidi was responsible for police “deployed to subdue protests in Iran, including the ongoing protests over the death of Mahsa Amini.”

CBSA is also investigating about 100 people with status in Canada for potential ties to Tehran. In a statement provided to CBC News, the agency said that as of November 20, 2023, the it had reviewed approximately 17,800 visa applications for potential inadmissibility to Canada under the IRPA designation of the Iranian regime. As a result, 78 individuals were denied access to Canada.

Concerns about Canada serving as a safe haven for high-ranking Iranian officials were exacerbated after the identification of a former Tehran police chief at a gym near Toronto in 2021.

Under pressure from the opposition Conservatives and the Iranian-Canadian community, the Liberal government, under the leadership of then-public safety minister Marco Mendicino, designated the Islamic Republic of Iran as a "regime that has engaged in terrorism and systematic and gross human rights violations" under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) in November 2022.

The deportation is in line with sanctions implemented in November 2022, which prevent senior members of the Islamic Republic from entering Canada. The measures were imposed after Mahsa Amini died in custody of Iran's so-called morality police for defying hijab laws. Amini's death garnered international condemnation and became a symbol of resistance against the repression of women under Iran's clerical regime. The incident ignited the boldest uprising against the ruling power since its establishment in 1979. Security forces crushed the uprising by killing about 600, arresting over 22,000 and hanging some of protesters.

In response, Canada classified Iran's government as a regime involved in "terrorism and systematic and gross human rights violations," leading to the effective exclusion of tens of thousands of Iranian officials and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members from entering the country.

Canada severed diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012 due to concerns related to its pursuit of nuclear weapons and support for terrorist organizations including Hamas. The government has also been under pressure for years to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Those calls intensified after the IRGC shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 in 2020 as it was taking off from Tehran, killing all 176 people onboard, including 55 Canadians and 30 permanent residents.

Iranian national with alleged terrorism ties deported from U.S. to Canada

The unnamed fugitive who has permanent residency in Canada was deported on Dec. 21 and described as a 'national security priority'

Dozens of Iranian regime officials denied entry to Canada, says border agency

Brennan MacDonald · CBC News · 

The Canada Border Services Agency has denied entry to dozens of senior Iranian regime officials and is investigating about 100 people with status in Canada for potential ties to Tehran.

The agency also has referred the cases of nine individuals with status in Canada to the Immigration and Refugee Board to determine their admissibility to Canada.

The denials at the border and the investigations stem from a measure the Liberal government adopted last year in the midst of widespread protests in Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman. Amini died while in the custody of Iran's "morality police."

The sighting of a former Tehran police chief at a Toronto-area gym in 2021 led many Iranian-Canadians to claim that Canada serves as a haven for high-ranking members of Iran's regime.

Under pressure from the opposition Conservatives and members of the Iranian-Canadian community to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist entity, the Liberal government instead opted to take action through immigration laws.

Numbers, but no names

In a statement provided to CBC News, the CBSA said that as of Nov. 20, 2023, the agency had reviewed approximately 17,800 visa applications for potential inadmissibility to Canada under the IRPA designation of the Iranian regime. As a result, 78 individuals were denied access to Canada.

The CBSA also said that, based on referrals from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and tips from the public, it opened investigations into 141 individuals with status in Canada.

The CBSA closed 38 of those 141 cases, either because the individuals were out of the country or the border agency had determined the individuals were allowed to be in Canada.

The CBSA deemed ten individuals inadmissible under the Iranian regime's IRPA designation. Nine of those people are presently in Canada and are now facing hearings before the Immigration Refugee Board of Canada, which will decide whether their status in Canada must be revoked.

The CBSA would not identify any of the individuals under investigation or those denied access to Canada, citing the Privacy Act.

Ottawa pressed to list IRGC as a terrorist entity

"I'm glad that some people have been deemed inadmissible because it had not been clear to me that the government had taken any steps," said Kaveh Shahrooz, a human rights activist, lawyer and senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

"I think any member of the IRGC that willingly served — not conscripts, but willingly served — should be kicked out of the country. But ultimately, it doesn't take away from our goal of making the entirety of the IRGC a terrorist organization."

The government has faced pressure for years to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Those calls intensified after the IRGC shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 in 2020, killing all 176 people onboard, including 55 Canadians and 30 permanent residents.

In the wake of Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, which killed an estimated 1,200 people, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre renewed his calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity.

Hamas, a listed terrorist entity in Canada, is a member of the so-called "Axis of Resistance" — a Tehran-backed alliance of militant groups in the Middle East which oppose both Israel and the United States.

Trudeau has resisted calls to list the IRGC and has pointed to his government's decision to designate Iran's Quds force a terrorist entity in 2017. The Quds force is a branch of the IRGC responsible for the paramilitary force's extraterritorial operations.

The government has argued in the past that listing the IRGC as a terrorist entity would be a blunt-force approach that could target low-level people who were forced to serve in the paramilitary force.

The Council on Foreign Relations, a U.S.-based independent think-tank, identifies the Quds force as Iran's main point of contact with axis members, providing them with "training, weaponry and funds to promote Iranian regional objectives."

 Leah West, an associate professor at Carleton University who teaches national security law, said listing the IRGC as a terrorist organization would be a largely symbolic gesture that might run counter to Canadian law.

"The Criminal Code basically has a carve-out for the definition of terrorist activity that excludes military units or parties to an armed conflict," West told CBC News.

"The terrorist entity listing is dependent on that terrorist activity definition. So, essentially, if the Quds force arguably shouldn't have been listed because of that definition, it makes it even harder to list an entire military for that reason — at least lawfully."

"My personal opinion is we shouldn't be sacrificing our commitment to our own domestic law in order to make what is really a political statement. It will have very little actual impact in terms of effect ... It's just not a useful tool," added West.

 

 
 

Senior Iranian official caught in Toronto

US and Qatar Will Hold Off Giving Iran $6 Billion in Funds

  • Money was to be distributed under prisoner exchange agreement
  • Iran says there’s been no change in its access to funds

Israel-Hamas war: What is Iran's role?

Youhanna Najdi | Benjamin Restle

Tehran has backed Islamist groups opposing Israel for years. While it says Palestinians "have the right to resist," it has denied any direct involvement in the recent Hamas attacks.

Following Saturday's terror attacks on Israel by Islamist militant group Hamas from the Gaza Strip, several Israeli officials have said they suspect the involvement of Iran, which is a known supporter of Israel-opposed militant groups in the Middle East.

In an interview with CBS News in the United States , Israel's ambassador to the US, Michael Herzog, said Israel's leadership suspected "Iranian hands behind the scenes."

"Hamas and Iran are closely tied. Iran provides material support, funding [and] weapons to Hamas," he said.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, said that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met with Hamas leaders several weeks ago. "We know that there were meetings in Syria, in Lebanon," Erdan said.

"It's easy to understand that they tried to coordinate the military, the terror armies, the terrorists, the proxies of Iran in our region. They try to be coordinated as much as possible with Iran because, for the long term, the goal is to try and destroy Israel with the nuclear umbrella that Iran will provide them with."

On Thursday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz echoed this suspicion, telling legislators Iran had allowed Hamas to grow strong enough to the launch the latest attacks. While Scholz said there was "no firm proof that Iran operationally supported this cowardly attack, it is clear to us all that without Iranian support, Hamas would never have been able to launch this unprecedented attack."

Scholz also warned Lebanon's Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah against attacking Israel, saying this would further escalate the conflict.

 

What did Iran say?

Tehran has denied being involved in last weekend's attacks, which it has referred to as an act of "self-defense" by Palestinians. The Israeli government on Sunday declared it was at war with Hamas. Israel's death toll rose to an estimated 1,300 as of Thursday morning and dozens of hostages have been abducted. The death toll in Gaza has risen to 1,200, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

"Iran supports the legitimate defense of the Palestinian nation," Raisi said in a statement broadcast on Iranian state television while praising "resistance" efforts by Hamas.

Iran backs a broad network of militias and armed groups in the Middle East, including Palestinian groups, as Tehran continually seeks to consolidate its influence in Lebanon, SyriaIraq and Yemen, as well as Gaza.

Iranian authorities consistently emphasize the term "axis of resistance" in their speeches and stances on Israel. This phrase denotes explicitly militant groups that have dedicated themselves to opposing Israel's right to exist and primarily includes Hamas and Lebanon-based Hezbollah. Both Hamas and Hezbollah's military wing are considered terrorist groups by several countries, including the US and the European Union.

Iranian officials hold regular meetings with these groups. In August, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met in Beirut with the heads of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other anti-Israel groups active in Lebanon. During this meeting, the foreign minister reaffirmed Iran's unwavering support for the "axis of resistance."

Both Hamas and Hezbollah officials have consistently acknowledged the substantial support they receive from Iran. For instance, Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior member of the Hamas leadership, said in December 2020 that he had received approximately $22 million (€21.6 million) in cash during a meeting with Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, in 2006.

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, has repeatedly affirmed that the group receives financial support, weaponry, and missiles from Iran. For instance, during the summer of 2016, he said, "As long as Iran has money, we have money. No law can prevent receiving this aid."

A 2021 report from the Wilson Center, a US-based think tank, says that since at least 2006, Iran has been "focused on supplying its regional allies and proxies, including Palestinian factions, with the knowhow and equipment to produce rockets locally."

The report cites an interview with the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Aerospace Force, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, as saying, "Instead of giving them a fish or teaching them to catch a fish, we taught our allies and friends how to make a hook, and they are now in possession of missile capabilities and technologies."

Iran opposes Israel's budding ties with Arab countries

The Hamas attack also comes amid negotiations over diplomatic normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which Iran opposes.

In a recent interview, Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, mentioned that his country is "gradually progressing towards normalizing relations with Israel."

The Abraham Accords, signed in August 2020 by Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, led to the normalization of relations between some Arab countries and Israel. However, Iran strongly opposes this approach taken by Arab nations.

On October 3, just four days before Hamas launched its attack on Israel, Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, characterized the establishment of relations with Israel as a "completely futile endeavor."

On Wednesday, Iranian President Raisi and Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed the ongoing situation, with the Saudi leader affirming "the kingdom's firm position towards supporting the Palestinian cause."

And more recently, Raisi and his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad urged Islamic countries to unite over the Palestinian cause. Raisi reportedly told an Iranian news agency, "Islamic and Arab countries as well all free people of the world" must together side against Israel and back the "oppressed Palestinian people."

Iran avoids direct involvement

A report published Sunday by The Wall Street Journal quoted unnamed officials from Hamas as saying Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps helped plan Saturday's multi-pronged surprise attack on Israel.

However, on Monday, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, "Iran is a major player, but we can't yet say if it was involved in the planning or training."

Iran has denied it played a role in the attacks. 

On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that US intelligence indicates key Iranian leaders were in fact surprised by the recent Hamas assault.

Raz Zimmt, an expert on Iran at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) at Tel Aviv University, responded to the claims made in the The Wall Street Journal article on X, formerly Twitter.

"While there is no doubt about the military cooperation between Iran and Hamas and Iran's increasing involvement in the Palestinian arena, including the West Bank, in recent years, I highly doubt whether Iran was significantly involved in Hamas's latest action," he wrote.

However, he added that if the "Israeli response poses a significant challenge to Hamas," it would "oblige Iran to move from the phase of ongoing support and coordination to a more direct involvement." 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already said Israel is "at war" with Hamas and vowed severe retaliation for the attacks. On Monday, Netanyahu said Israel's response to the Hamas attacks would "change the Middle East."

UN ambassador Erdan called the attacks "Israel's 9/11," after which "nothing will be the same."

Damon Golriz, a lecturer and researcher at the Hague University in the Netherlands, told DW that by maintaining a well-crafted doctrine of plausible deniability, Tehran has effectively avoided direct involvement in these conflicts. He added that finding a smoking gun implicating Iran is a political decision that would have devastating consequences.

"It will be a declaration of war between Israel and Iran," he said.

https://www.dw.com/en/israel-hamas-war-what-is-irans-role/a-67043337

Israeli diplomat draws ‘clear link’ to Iran in Hamas attacks

“There is direct involvement in what is happening right now,” ambassador-designate to Canada tells POLITICO.

OTTAWA, Ont. — Israel’s ambassador-designate to Canada says he believes Iran was involved in the weekend’s deadly Hamas rampage on Israel.

“It’s clear that there is direct involvement in what is happening right now,” Iddo Moed told POLITICO on Tuesday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the U.S. has yet to see evidence. French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters Tuesday that he’d seen “no formal trace” that Iran was directly involved. The Israel Defense Forces said Iran’s involvement can’t be ruled out despite the lack of proof.

 Asked for evidence, Moed pointed to August meetings that took place in Beirut between the heads of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s Al-Quds Force, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and Hamas.

“With the presence of the Iranian minister of foreign affairs, then you see there is a clear link,” he said.

Iran’s response to the surprise onslaught is another sign of Iran’s backing, he added. “The praise that they received from Tehran, from the highest leadership — from President [Ebrahim] Raisi and others — the cheers in the streets, all of that points to very clear support — material and moral support and political support — for Hamas and Palestinian organizations.”

“As I stand here today, while Iran plays this broad role — sustained, deep and dark role in providing all of this support and capabilities to Hamas — in terms of this particular gruesome attack on Oct. 7, we don’t currently have that information,” Sullivan told reporters.

Blinken is expected to travel to Israel on Thursday.

Moed, a cybersecurity expert who previously served as deputy head of Israel’s foreign ministry’s African affairs division, has been on the job for six weeks in Ottawa. The ambassador-designate has yet to present his credentials to Canada’s governor general, a technicality that bars him from making direct contact with politicians until after a formal ceremony.

Asked about Israel’s short-term needs from Ottawa, Moed said it needs political and moral support in the fight against terrorism, “specifically against Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”

He added: “And, of course, looking at Iran as a player that is behind these attacks as a source for further escalation in the region.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/11/israeli-diplomat-draws-clear-link-to-iran-in-hamas-attacks-00120915

Poilievre calls for 'more severe sanctions' on Iran in response to Hamas attacks

Ottawa must 'take action to counter Hamas any way we can,' the Conservative leader said

US Sanctions Chinese Companies, Turkish Entities Over Iran Drones

Daniel FlatleyBloomberg News

(Bloomberg) -- The US sanctioned Chinese, Russian, Turkish and Iranian companies and people for playing a role in Iran’s drone program a day after five Americans were freed in a prisoner-swap deal with the country.

The Treasury Department added Chinese company Shenzhen Jiasibo Technology Co. Ltd. and its managing director and owner Su Chunpeng to its sanctions list on Tuesday, accusing them of helping a previously designated Iranian supplier of unmanned aerial vehicles acquire parts for radar altimeter systems. Treasury also designated China-based Dong Wenbo for helping to sell aircraft brake disks to the Iranian company.

“The United States will continue to take action against Iran’s UAV procurement networks, and encourages jurisdictions to exercise the due diligence necessary to prevent the export of these components to Iran,” Brian Nelson, the Treasury undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a statement.

The US and European Union have accused Iran of supplying Russia with drones for its war in Ukraine.

The move comes shortly after the Biden administration oversaw the completion of a deal with the Iranian government to release five Iranians held in US custody in exchange for the same number of US citizens. The deal also included the unfreezing of $6 billion in oil revenue held at South Korean banks due to sanctions. 

Earlier: Five Americans Freed in Iran Prisoner Swap Land in Qatar 

Two Turkey-based money exchangers — Mehmet Tokdemir and Alaaddin Aykut — were also designated on Tuesday, along with three Russian aerospace companies. The US said a previously sanctioned Iranian drone company, Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company, or HESA, was using the name Shahin Co. in an attempt to evade sanctions, and added that name to its designation. 

©2023 Bloomberg L.P.

Canada sanctions Iran's new national security chief, six drone executives

By The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Canada is sanctioning Iran’s new security chief, alongside six Iranians accused of destabilizing the Middle East and Ukraine.

Ali Akbar Ahmadian, a former commander of the navy division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, became chair of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council in May.

Others facing new Canadian sanctions include executives in Iran’s drone industry and aviation sector who are accused of helping sow chaos in Iran’s neighbourhood and supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says the new sanctions aim to keep Ottawa in line with European and American allies, so people facing sanctions don’t see Canada as a safe haven for their assets.

This is the federal government’s 13th round of sanctions against Iranian officials, which aim to prevent them from entering Canada and freeze any assets they hold in the country. 

Critics have said it’s impossible to tell whether Ottawa’s sanctions are having their intended effect, with experts testifying in Parliament that Canada does a poor job of tracking its efforts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2023.

The Canadian Press