Iran has announced it is open to restoring diplomatic relations with Canada, but insists that any formal process must begin with Ottawa. The call was made by Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, during a recent media briefing in Tehran. “The relationship was frozen unilaterally by Canada, not by Iran,” Baghaei said, referencing the 2012 decision by then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government to sever ties.
Baghaei stressed that Iran never supported the rupture and believes renewed dialogue could benefit both countries. However, he maintained that Canada must initiate the process by lifting what he called “self-imposed sanctions and restraints.” That demand is seen as unlikely to gain traction among Canadian diplomats and international policy experts, particularly amid ongoing accountability efforts surrounding the downing of Flight PS752.
Relations between the two nations have been strained for more than a decade. Ottawa cut ties over Iran’s suspected nuclear ambitions, its support for Syria’s Assad regime, and its record of human rights abuses. The recent willingness by Tehran to reopen talks comes as the U.S. also attempts to revive nuclear negotiations with Iran, offering a potential opening for broader diplomatic engagement.
However, deep wounds remain unresolved, especially following the 2020 downing of Ukrainian Flight PS752 by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. All 176 on board were killed, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents. Khosro Malek, who lost his daughter Maryam in the tragedy, is among many demanding justice and transparency. Speaking to CBC News, he described the incident as a deliberate act to use civilians as a shield during heightened U.S.-Iran tensions.
Iran initially denied involvement in the PS752 attack before admitting fault and attributing the incident to human error. Many relatives of the victims continue to face harassment in Iran and have petitioned international courts, including the ICC and ICJ, to classify the event as a war crime. Canada is currently part of a multi-nation legal action against Iran in The Hague, with Iran filing a counter-claim.
While some Iranians hope renewed relations will ease economic hardship and family separation, critics argue that any diplomatic thaw could strengthen the existing regime rather than promote democratic reform. Malek, like others who lost loved ones on PS752, warns that resuming formal ties without systemic change would ignore the core issue. “Not only were they deprived of their right to life, but we the bereaved have also been denied our right to live. We can never be happy again,” he said.
