Canada Pushes for Regime Change in Iran, Escalates Sanctions

Canada's Foreign Policy Towards Iran

TORONTO, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Canada wants a change of government in Iran but would not say whether it would support a U.S. military strike, the Globe and Mail reported on Saturday.

“We will not open diplomatic relationships with Iran unless there is a regime change. Period,” Anand told the Globe and Mail in an interview in Germany, where she is attending the Munich Security Conference.

Canada has particularly poor relations with Iran and cut off diplomatic ties in 2012. 

Recent Sanctions Against Iranian Officials

Anand on Saturday announced further sanctions against seven individuals who are connected with the Iranian government and said Canada’s focus in the region is on the repression of human rights.

U.S. Military Preparedness

The U.S. military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack, two U.S. officials told Reuters, in what could become a far more serious conflict than previously seen between the countries.

On Friday, Trump embraced potential government change in Iran as the Pentagon sent a second aircraft carrier to the region.

(Reporting by Fergal Smith. Editing by Sergio Non, Rod Nickel)