Canada sanctions more Iran guard corps members, police after Toronto rally criticism

Ottawa has added more Iranian individuals and companies to its sanctions list after the government faced heavy criticism at a diaspora event this weekend.

The new sanctions apply to eight people, as well as a company that creates armoured vehicles and a cybersecurity training institute.

The Tehran commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of Iran’s military known as the IRGC, is on the list, as are officials involved in using drones and ballistic missiles in regions of Iran populated by minority groups.

“It’s time to end the cycle of violence and to forge a new path built on peace, security and stability for the Iranian people,” Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly wrote in a statement.

The sanctions follow criticism of the Liberals this past weekend at a large rally called the Tirgan Festival at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, where multiple speakers called on Ottawa to list the entire IRGC as a terrorist organization.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has argued that doing so would punish Canadians who were drafted into Iran’s military by force.

Activist Masih Alinejad suggested the IRGC wouldn’t have shot down Flight PS752 in 2020 if Trudeau had listed the military branch as a terror group.

“They didn’t. What happened? The same revolutionary guards killed 176 innocent Iranians and Canadians. It’s your fault, Justin Trudeau,” she said, prompting applause in the arena.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2023.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press