Canada’s foreign minister said Monday he is “deeply skeptical” about the new deal to freeze Iran’s nuclear program for six months and said his country’s sanctions will stay in “full force” against the country, according to Canadian broadcaster CBC.
“Past actions predict future actions and Iran has defied the United Nations Security Council, and simply put, Iran has not earned the right to have the benefit of the doubt,” Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said, according to the report.
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the interim pact is a prudent move to halt Iran’s program in its tracks, as the world’s leading nations forge a long-term plan to keep nuclear firepower out of the Islamic republic’s hands.
But Mr. Baird is among those talking tough about the new pact, echoing GOP lawmakers in the United States and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who have slammed any let-up in stamping out Iran’s enrichment activities.
Mr. Baird said Canada will maintain restrictions on financial transactions and bilateral trade with Iran, and will maintain its ban on diplomatic representation from the country within Canada, CBC reported.
