World

Is Iran’s Embassy in Canada Recruiting Immigrants to One Day Target the U.S.?

Ottawa Citizen Reports Iranian Embassy in Canada Recruiting Iranian Immigrants in the Interests Islamic Republic

Iranian Embassy in Ottawa (photo from The Ottawa Citizen)

Is the Iranian embassy in Ottawa recruiting Iranians who have emigrated to Canada to be utilized as a sort of fifth column on behalf of the Islamic Republic, including possibly being exploited for future activity against the U.S.?  That’s what the Canadian government is worried about after an alarming interview published with an Iranian diplomat. The Ottawa Citizen first reported this on Tuesday:

Absent diplomatic relations with the United States, Iran is using its embassy in Canada to recruit ethnic Iranians to “be of service” to Tehran — causing U.S. terrorism experts to warn of a possible attack from north of the border.

The mobilization effort is taking place under the guise of the embassy’s cultural outreach program, and Iranian-Canadians opposed to the regime in Tehran say the Islamic republic’s intentions are revealed in an interview that Hamid Mohammadi, Iran’s cultural affairs counsellor attached to the Iranian embassy in Ottawa, gave in Farsi to an Iran-based website directed at Iranian expatriates in Canada.

In the interview, the Iranian diplomat estimated Canada’s Iranian immigrant population at 500,000 whom he encouraged to work in senior Canadian government positions. The Ottawa Citizen provided an English translation of some of the diplomat’s interview to the website Iranians Residing Abroad:

He says recent Iranian immigrants have “decisively preserved strong attachments and bonds to their homeland,” while the “younger second generation” is already “working in influential government positions.”

Mohammadi urges all Iranian-Canadians to aspire to “occupy high-level key positions” and “resist being melted into the dominant Canadian culture.”

Chillingly, he described how Iran uses cultural outreach programs to recruit former Iranians in service of the regime:

“So, therefore, we need to put into effect very concentrated cultural programs in order to enhance and nurture the culture in this fast-growing population. It is obvious that this large Iranian population can only be of service to our beloved Iran through these programs and gatherings.”

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Department quickly responded, issuing a warning to Iranian diplomats. The National Post reports:

“Iranian-Canadians have rejected the oppressive Iranian regime and have chosen to come to Canada to build better lives,” a spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said in a statement to the National Post. “The Iranian Embassy should not interfere in their choices. Canadian security organizations will act to prevent threats and intimidation of Canadians.”

The National Post quoted Iran’s top diplomat to Canada — Kambiz Sheikh-Hassan, the Iranian charge d’affaires — who dismissed the Ottawa Citizen report and said Iran is following Canadian and international laws:

“We strongly dismiss baseless allegations by [some] media that [the] ‘Iranian Embassy has been recruiting ethnic Iranians in Canada to be of service to Iran.’”

A former Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) officer warns The National Post these activities could pose a danger to the U.S. north of the border.

“The embassy is in and of itself a menace to public safety and our national interests; it should have been closed down yesterday,” said former CSIS intelligence operative David Harris, who is director of the international and terrorist intelligence program at Insignis Strategic Research Inc. “I think we’re at grave risk of being considered a problem-state rather than a serious ally to those countries to which we have been closest.”

There’s a real danger to the immigrants, too. Harris believes that if Iranian officials or loyalists obtain information on the immigrants’ relatives in Iran, it could be used as leverage to force the newcomer into spying.

Martin Rudner from Carleton University’s Canadian Center of Intelligence and Security Studies tells The National Post:

“I could picture the Iranian embassy making a phone call to an individual who doesn’t necessarily want to help them and say something along the lines of, ‘You have relatives back in Iran, and those relatives could be in jeopardy if you don’t help us.’”

Iranian immigrants who oppose the Islamic regime tell The Ottawa Citizen that the embassy’s “education advisory” section is the main sponsor of a three-day Iranian Students Convention taking place this summer in Ontario. One opponent of the Iranian government tells The Ottawa Citizen:

“Multiculturalism is killing Canada. I am sick and tired of political correctness in this country,” said Shabnam Assadollahi, an Ottawa-based Iranian-Canadian, who helped translate the Mohammadi interview as part of her activism against the regime in Tehran. “When you become a Canadian citizen, virtually no one can touch you, and so these people can easily get to the United States. The only solution is to close the Iranian embassy in Ottawa.”

The paper explains that even though Iranian-born Canadians are fingerprinted at the U.S. border even when they travel on Canadian passports, Canadian-born children of Iranians can enter the U.S. without any more difficulty than any other Canadian.

Comments (24)

  • charleyrocks
    Posted on July 12, 2012 at 6:24am

    Canada will not tolerate this in any way, it’s a country of peace and politeness.

    Report Post » charleyrocks  
  • Conservative-Atheist
    Posted on July 11, 2012 at 6:58pm

    “the Iranian diplomat estimated Canada’s Iranian immigrant population at 500,000″

    BS

    Iranian Canadians or Persian Canadians[2][3] are Canadians of Iranian/Persian national background or descent. Their numbers are estimated as 121,510[1] from the 2006 Canadian census and the main communities can be found in Southern Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec; the vast majority, however, live in the northern suburbs of Toronto

    Just bomb Toronto…there are so many good reasons for that!

    Report Post » Conservative-Atheist  
  • All Pro
    Posted on July 11, 2012 at 5:16pm

    Gonzo
    Posted on July 11, 2012 at 3:21pm
    Yea, we’re so evil.
    ——————–
    All things considered, the aftermath of what the CIA did to them in ‘53 WAS evil! What we are dealing with now is a monster that WE created. The same thing happened in Iraq. When it comes to foreign policy we’re batting one thousand! I have ZERO confidence in the US state department to make the correct call.

    Report Post » All Pro  
  • historyguy48
    Posted on July 11, 2012 at 4:58pm

    Comrades they might as well target the U.S. everyone else is, including our own politicians!
    Does Home Depot even have enough rope to handle this mess we are in?

    Report Post » historyguy48  
  • zoro51
    Posted on July 11, 2012 at 4:50pm

    once more MURDERING MUSLUMS try.. canada cant be blamed BUT it needs to DEPORT all muslums form that nation… as i have said for over a yeaqr MUSLUMS ARE INA CULT OF GHATE N DEATH thier god ALLAH A FALSE STONE IDOL.. they care NOT for you even if u converty they will KILL YOU.. HELL AWAITS ALL MUSLUMS

    Report Post » zoro51  
  • Individualism
    Posted on July 11, 2012 at 4:00pm

    Don’t blame and bomb canada for it Neo Cons okeh?

    Report Post » Individualism  
    • JRook
      Posted on July 11, 2012 at 4:12pm

      “Iranians recruit Canadian scientists to entice American scientists with free Molson Ale to provide nuclear weapon secrets” This makes about as much sense from the few facts in this reports as the title does.

      Report Post »  
  • blackyb
    Posted on July 11, 2012 at 3:59pm

    Likely just coming here to vote and see how that works out. Obama will take their vote and if that does not work out, then the little skinny dope eating varmits will blow their skinny selves up with as many innocents as they can take with them.

    Report Post » blackyb  
  • jamesctheman
    Posted on July 11, 2012 at 3:55pm

    How does Iran have an embassy on this continent? Have they not made it abundantly clear that they want to kill the West & western way of life? Multiculturalism? Depends honestly on the culture. It’s not immigrants but host countries not requiring them to become a citizen. They don’t learn the language. We allow Chinatown & Little Baghdad & in these concentrations of people there is no reason to learn or be part of the culture. Places like these keep the culture they came with & instead of changing into Americans or Canadians they change the little bit of landscape into a version of their home country. Becoming part of the the new country was almost an obligation to survive. Now it’s not & that’s the main issue. Make harder for them to not assimilate into our culture in our country. Seemed to work pretty good. Still had Little Italy & such. Got the mafia for it. Back then they still learned the language & became part of the fabric & not the frey.

    Report Post » jamesctheman  
  • jman-6
    Posted on July 11, 2012 at 3:39pm

    All Dumb- if it was not for the US, Iran would still be in the 12th century along with Afghanistan.

    Report Post »  
    • All Pro
      Posted on July 11, 2012 at 5:42pm

      If it wasn’t for the US they might still be a democracy!

      Report Post » All Pro  
    • Michael
      Posted on July 11, 2012 at 8:30pm

      If it wasn’t for the Americans, this country would probably be praising alah, whether they wanted to or not.

      Report Post »  
  • Eric_The_Red_State
    Posted on July 11, 2012 at 3:34pm

    Why runs stories about “Speculation” ?

    A meteor MIGHT hit the United States

    The world MIGHT explode in 1 hour

    Obama may have been gay as a child

    Police MIGHT walk off the job in every town

    When you have FACTS – get back to me.

    Report Post » Eric_The_Red_State  
    • Cavallo
      Posted on July 11, 2012 at 4:08pm

      I agree here. Volcano men from beneath the earth might climb out of cracks to attack our fruit smoothie stands. We need something a little more hard than just “they might be up to naughtiness”.

      Report Post » Cavallo  
  • jungle J
    Posted on July 11, 2012 at 3:14pm

    Multiculturalism is killing the free world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the sane understand.

    Report Post »  
  • All Pro
    Posted on July 11, 2012 at 3:10pm

    In all of their history, Iran has NEVER EVER attacked anyone.

    Report Post » All Pro  
    • jman-6
      Posted on July 11, 2012 at 3:33pm

      Your ignorance is bliss, Iran has attacked every western nation in some form or another with terrorist attacks. They don‘t use there standing military because they’re cowards and know they would cease to exist!

      Report Post »  
    • Steve28
      Posted on July 11, 2012 at 3:34pm

      Yes, they are peaceful and loving. Did you forget about these little items?
      -Taking U.S. diplomats in Iran hostage (attack on the U.S.);

      -U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut (attack on the U.S.);

      -Hijacking on TWA flight and killing an American citizen through its agent Imad Moghniyeh (attack on the U.S.);

      -Hijacking of Kuwait Airways (attack on Kuwait);

      -Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia (attack on U.S. and Saudi);

      -Jewish center bombing in Argentina (attack on Argentina);

      -Last but not the least: the latest terror plot in the U.S. (attack on Saudi Arabia and U.S.).

      Report Post »  
    • Cavallo
      Posted on July 11, 2012 at 4:00pm

      I think All Pro is being sarcastic.

      Report Post » Cavallo  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on July 11, 2012 at 3:06pm

    Lets see: YES.

    Obama is allied with the radicals of Iran, and the other Islamist Radicals and Extrmeists. This is being done to harm the US and for Obamas own agenda. Watch for any attack, or a ‘wag the dog’ moment early in Oct, or on the eve of the elections themselves.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on July 11, 2012 at 3:06pm

    Let’s invade their embassy. Seems to me we owe them one anyway.

    Report Post » Gonzo  

Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

Glenn Beck Radio

Listen to Glenn Beck 24/7 Listen Now
Restoring Love