Canada expands Iran sanctions over ‘human rights violations’

Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hold a news conference, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada October 27, 2022. REUTERS/Blair Gable/Pool/File Photo

WASHINGTON – Canada has issued additional sanctions against Iran over its denial of rights for women and girls and for cracking down on peaceful protests, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly said in a statement on Friday.

The latest sanctions target four individuals and five entities that Ottawa said were tied to Tehran’s “systematic human rights violations” and actions that “threaten international peace and security.”

“Canada will not stand idly by while the regime’s human rights violations increase in scope and intensity against the Iranian people,” the statement said.