Liberal MP calls for ‘severe’ travel restrictions on Iranian official accused of terrorism ties | 24CA News
Liberal MP Ali Ehsassi, chair of the Commons international affairs committee, is asking on the federal authorities to impose “severe” journey restrictions on Iran’s consultant on the United Nations aviation company in Montreal.
Ahsassi informed 24CA News the federal authorities has retained legal professionals to weigh its choices relating to claims that Iran’s aviation envoy Farhad Parvaresh has ties to a terrorist group. Parvaresh denies the allegation that he has hyperlinks to Iran’s Quds Force, listed by Canada as a terror group.
“In instances such as this, there is a precedent where host countries of international organizations can impose restrictions on envoys,” mentioned Ehsassi, including the federal government is chatting with different international locations about Parvaresh.
Canada minimize diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012 and expelled its diplomats. Parvaresh is designated a everlasting consultant at ICAO. Individual international locations can limit a diplomat’s actions inside their borders, mentioned Ehsassi.
As the three-year anniversary of the destruction of Flight PS752 by Iranian forces on January 8, 2020 approached, protesters gathered exterior the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in downtown Montreal on Thursday. Some carried indicators demanding Parvaresh’s expulsion, together with any Iranian officers with ties to the Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Right now he is living in Montreal and he’s a member of [ICAO],” mentioned demonstrator Mohammad Aminnia, whose fiancée died on Flight PS752. “We cannot believe that.”
The IRGC shot down the civilian plane with two surface-to-air missiles shortly after takeoff over Tehran. All 176 folks onboard died, together with 55 Canadians and 30 everlasting residents. Most have been on their strategy to Canada.
Iranian media exterior of Iran have reported on a purported audio recording of Iran’s former international minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. 24CA News has not independently verified the tape.
The Persian-language TV station Iran International reported that the audio means that whereas Parvaresh was the top of Iran Air, the previous head of Iran’s Quds Force — Gen. Qassem Soleimani — used that civilian airline for army functions.
Canada has designated the Quds Force as a terrorist group and calls it a clandestine department of the IRGC chargeable for funding, arming and coaching extremist teams.
Parvaresh mentioned the audio file “is not to be trusted” and insisted he adopted all worldwide requirements whereas he was the top of Iran Air.
“I hereby emphasize that I have never had any sort of connection with Quds force before, during and after my responsibility as the CEO of Iran Air,” Parvaresh informed 24CA News in a press release.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury warned in 2019 that many Iranian industrial airways “enable Iran’s military support” for the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad by delivering “lethal material, including weapons shipments, prolonging the brutal conflict and the suffering of millions of Syrians.”
Iran Air additionally confronted U.S. sanctions between 2011 and 2016 when it was designated as an entity owned or managed by the federal government of Iran. Parvaresh was the top of Iran Air till 2017, when he moved to Montreal. U.S. sanctions have been lifted by the Obama administration throughout talks on a nuclear take care of Iran; they have been re-imposed in 2018.
Protesters in Montreal are calling on the federal authorities to take motion in opposition to an Iranian official residing in Montreal who’s accused of getting hyperlinks to terrorism. Families of the victims of Flight PS752, the flight shot down over Iran practically three years in the past, need him expelled from Canada.
An affiliation representing the households of Flight PS752 victims in Canada pressed the federal government about Parvaresh in 2021 earlier than a House of Commons committee and in its personal “fact-finding report.”
“I think this man should be expelled from Canada and from this organization,” mentioned affiliation spokesperson Hamed Esmaeilion, whose spouse and nine-year-old daughter died on Flight PS752.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran doesn’t deserve to be part of this organization …”
When requested if the ICAO has seemed into allegations in opposition to Parvaresh, the UN aviation company mentioned representatives are assigned by their dwelling international locations and any “investigation relating to their behaviour or performance would have to be carried out by their state.”
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra responds to requires him to put journey restrictions on Iran’s consultant to the International Civil Aviation Organization, which is predicated in Montreal.
When requested if the federal government was ready to place journey restrictions on Parvaresh, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra didn’t commit.
“There is a lot of work being done and I’m not going to pre-empt an answer to a question where we’re looking at all tools that we have at our disposal,” Alghabra informed visitor host Catherine Cullen on CBC’s Power and Politics.
Alghabra’s workplace mentioned the federal government is required as an ICAO host state to supply diplomatic privileges and immunities to Iran’s consultant in Montreal.
Expelling Parvaresh would “put into question Canada’s neutrality as a host state, and likely undermine Canada’s objectives at ICAO, including those related to Flight PS752,” Alghabra’s workplace mentioned in a media assertion.
The authorities has vowed to carry Iran accountable for the destruction of Flight PS752. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke privately to victims’ households on Friday forward of the Sunday anniversary.
