Canada reimposed sanctions on 11 Iranian companies in the energy and banking sectors on Tuesday over their role in the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and missile programmes or their financing of “malign activities.”
The list published by the Canadian Foreign Ministry on the sidelines of a G7 meeting in Paris includes the National Iranian Oil Company and two banks, Mellat and Melli.
Ottawa had previously lifted sanctions on these companies in 2016, but stressed that reimposing them had become necessary to “disrupt Iranian financial networks that support its nuclear programme.”
The Foreign Ministry said the lifting of sanctions in 2016 had been “an acknowledgement of the progress made by Iran” following the 2015 agreement with world powers on its nuclear programme. The United States and Europe have long expressed concerns that the programme aims to develop an atomic bomb, an allegation Tehran denies.
It said that “Iran’s repeated failure since then to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency has heightened concerns about its nuclear activities.”
It added that “these measures signal Canada’s firm opposition to the financing, development and expansion of Iran’s sensitive nuclear activities by further restricting its access to sensitive technology and funding.”
In this context, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand noted that even after the collapse of the 2015 agreement following the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from it in 2018, Canada had sought to work with its partners towards reaching a lasting agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme.
The minister, who is attending the G7 meetings in Paris, added: “Canada’s position is firm and clear: Iran must never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon.”
