MNA – In response to a motion in Canada's parliament demanding immediate cease of all negotiations on restoring diplomatic ties with Iran, Iranian FM Zarif said that these policies will harm Canada and are not in line with maintaining international peace and security.


Zarif made the remarks on Thursday at the Pretoria airport after his 2-day visit to South Africa.

Unfortunately, Canada has had some misconceptions and illusions regarding Iran which persists today, he added.

"Although a new government with different perspective is ruling Canada, political pressures from extremists still exists," he said.

"Their allies in the region have committed crimes but they ignore these acts and remain silent towards them," Zarif said, adding that they blame Islamic Republic of Iran for crimes which are committed by their own allies.

Highlighting that Iran has always been at the forefront of fight against terrorism, Zarif said that in absence of Iran’s efforts and support, the Middle East would have experienced different circumstances.

“We hope that the Western countries will be less affected by these kinds of propaganda and adopt an independent policy towards Iran,” he said, adding, “it’s a pity that Canadian government has adopted such policies.”

Further in his remarks, Zarif touched upon his fruitful talks with South African officials regarding trade, transportation and banking, saying that a special committee will be established to determine ways to operationalize bilateral cooperation.