MP’S close ties to Iran raises concerns
Online video sparks slew of accusations
A Liberal MP is denying he is a foreign agent after a video posted online accused him of working with the Iranian regime.
Majid Jowhari, MP for Richmond Hill, Ont., said the allegations were completely false.
“In a recent program aired on two Persian language broadcasts, without a shred of evidence, I was accused of having connections to officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran. These accusations are absolutely false and unfounded,” he said in an email.
“Those who spread these slanderous and baseless accusations want to instigate hate and fear without providing a single fact to support it. We should stand together against this hateful behaviour.”
The video shows an interview with an associate of Masoud Molavi recorded in Turkey. Molavi was an outspoken opponent of the Iranian regime and according to Turkish media was a former Iranian spy who had defected. He was killed in a drive-by shooting in Istanbul in November. His associate said during the interview that the Iranians have placed agents in foreign governments and specifically mentioned Jowhari.
Senator Linda Frum said the accusations warrant closer scrutiny and she would like to hear from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on what he makes of Jowhari’s actions.
“I would like to hear from the prime minister what the story is, with an MP who seems to take a position that is supportive of the Islamic regime of Iran and is not aligned with Canadian values.”
Frum said Jowhari has been silent on the regime, despite having a large Iranian population in his riding and that has continued through recent violent protests in the country.
“There have been demonstrations in Iran in which hundreds of people have been murdered and he has never said a word about that.”
Jowhari has been criticized for his actions supporting Iran before. He presented a petition in the
House of Commons calling on the government to re-establish diplomatic relations with Tehran, which was part of the Liberal platform in 2015.
He also met with members of the Iranian parliament visiting Canada in 2016.
Jowhari told yorkregion. com, a local news website, that the Iranians wanted to meet with him “as a parliamentarian with a significant diaspora.”
And he said meeting with someone is not the same as working with them.
“It just means we are sitting at the same table and working on understanding the issues and we as Canadians have serious concerns. If we don’t tell them, who will?” he told the local news website.
Several local Liberals also spoke out publicly against Jowhari and he faced protests for his previous comments on Iran when Trudeau visited his riding during the recent federal election campaign.
Thomas Juneau, an associate professor at the University
I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM THE PRIME MINISTER WHAT THE STORY IS.
of Ottawa’s school of Public and International Affairs, said there are many people who distrust any attempt to reach out to Iran.
“A lot of the accusations he has been getting this week, but also over the last few years, are from rivals who are vociferously against any kind of re-engagement,” he said. “For a lot of these critics of the Islamic Republic as soon as you are in favour of re-engagement, you must be a shill for the Islamic Republic.”
He said the source accusing Jowhari is not credible on his own and the Canadian authorities are well equipped and prepared to investigate any kind of outside meddling by foreign powers.
The two countries ended diplomatic relations in 2012 and Canada’s embassy in Tehran along with Tehran’s mission in Ottawa were closed at that time.