Canada Should Think Twice Before Re-Engaging With Iran

In a recent op-ed, Sergio Marchi and Ken Lewis assert that Canadian government and industry should be preparing to re-engage with Iran. Iran’s economic landscape, they suggest, requires significant foreign investment, and Canada should oblige (“Iran wants to re-engage, Canada should start preparing” Opinion, Sept. 15).

On the contrary, Ottawa must not diminish its leverage or abandon its commitment to international security and Iranian human rights by returning to that country at present. The Canadian government must set re-engagement with Iran on its own terms — specifically, terms that benefit the Iranian people and pressure their government to change course.

Despite the best behaviour and message of hope on display during Marchi and Lewis’s trip to Tehran, the change exhibited by Iran’s pragmatic new president, Hassan Rouhani, exists only on the surface. To date, Rouhani has made concessions to hardliners on almost every issue of interest to the West, including human rights.

Under Rouhani’s leadership, the number of executions in Iran in 2014 thus far stands at a jarring 564. On his inauguration day, Rouhani selected Mostafa Pourmohammadi as his nominee for minister of justice. Pourmohammadi was a key official responsible for the 1988 massacre of thousands of political prisoners in Iran, and was later head of foreign counter-intelligence when the Iranian government ordered the deadly bombing of a Jewish community centre in Argentina. More recently, Iran’s chief prosecutor issued an ultimatum to criminalize the use of applications like Viber, WhatsApp and Tango — tools that would enable Iranians’ greater communication with each other and the outside world.

Even if Rouhani truly wanted to effect positive change in the country, he is severely constrained by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other conservative parliamentarians who will not permit any liberalization.

As for the kindness, candour, and affection for the West that Marchi and Lewis reported observing on their travels, these traits are commonly associated not with the Iranian government, but with its people. Despite the revolutionary dogma of their government, the Iranian people harbour warm feelings for the West — not least for Canada. Canada has played an integral role in the lives of many Iranians, serving as a vocal advocate at the United Nations, a funder of human rights initiatives and a safe haven for victims of human rights abuses and those who seek a free and peaceful life. Canada must not rush back into Iran, as Marchi and Lewis advise, while domestic repression continues.

Similarly, Ottawa should bear in mind its commitment to global security. Iran remains the world’s pre-eminent state sponsor of terrorism; Canadian companies should not be putting money into the pockets of a regime that finances terror, from Afghanistan to Argentina.

Lastly, calling for an immediate Western infusion of capital and technology in Iran would enhance the regime’s negotiating leverage in discussions in pursuit of a comprehensive nuclear accord. Knowing that Canadian, American and European companies want to enter the Iranian market, Iranian negotiators may use that sentiment against their Western counterparts and concede only on peripheral issues.

While Iran may want to rebuild its relationship with Canada, Marchi and Lewis seem to conflate the goodwill of the Iranian people with that of the regime. The Iranian government has primarily come to the negotiating table to diminish the economic pain it is experiencing as a result of international sanctions. For Canada and the West to invest in Iran, that country must first agree to a deal that rolls back its illicit nuclear infrastructure.

As the November deadline for a nuclear deal looms, let us hope that the West stays focused and principled, insisting that political and corporate re-engagement can only come when Iran meets its international obligations regarding its nuclear program, domestic human rights and support for terrorism.

Sheryl Saperia is the director of policy for Canada at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Behnam Ben Taleblu is an Iran research analyst.