Canada's Prime Minister Hopeful Vows To Kick Out IRGC And 'Regime Thugs'

He cited Tehran's human rights record, after Hashemi was reportedly seen in Montreal.

"Based on an assessment of the relevant facts recently brought to my attention, I have exercised my authority under s. 22.1 of the IRPA to prevent Mr. Seyed Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi from becoming a temporary resident of Canada for the maximum period of 36 months," Miller said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Section 22 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act gives the Canadian immigration minister the authority to deny temporary residency to a foreign national for up to three years.

"The decision itself, as communicated to the individual, is tied to Iran's disregard for human rights," Miller added, without disclosing Hashemi's location, whether he had sought residency, or how the information was conveyed.

Hashemi served as the minister of health for the Iranian government from 2013 to 2019 under former President Hassan Rouhani. He was widely seen as the key official behind a 2014 launch of a plan for universal medical insurance.

Iran International, a US-based news outlet focused on the Iranian diaspora, reported earlier in August that Hashemi was spotted in Montreal. It cited screenshots from a promotional video for the Quebec province's tourism industry. Reuters could not independently verify the presence of Hashemi in Montreal.

Canada cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012 and listed the country as a supporter of extremism. It also recently imposed sanctions on Iran over alleged human rights abuses and the killing of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died in the custody of Iran's morality police that enforced strict dress codes.

Ghafour Kargari, who currently serves as the president of Iran's national Paralympic committee, is presently in France attending a gathering with representatives from other nations participating in the 2024 Summer Paralympics games, according to statements from event organizers.

The two human rights groups assert that Kargari was a former commander of the Quds Force, a division of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) responsible for clandestine military operations and intelligence efforts throughout the Middle East.

Emmanuel Daoud, an attorney representing the French collective Femme Azadi and the Swedish NGO House of Liberty who filed the complaint, stated that France should not have issued him a visa for the meeting.

"The IRGC and the Quds group have been at the forefront of the violent repression of peaceful movements for democracy, civil rights and equality of men and women in Iran," they said in a document filed with France's anti-terror prosecutors and seen by AFP.

Given Kargari's high-ranking position in Iran's military hierarchy, the organizations assert that he was involved in formulating and executing strategies for these groups, leading them to argue that his actions "could also be qualified as crimes against humanity."

The 2024 Summer Paralympics are scheduled to be held from August 28 to September 8, featuring the participation of over 4,000 athletes.

Meanwhile, officials said an increase in weapons being smuggled across the border was raising concerns about a new Iranian-instigated threat beyond drugs.

The army said in a statement that the drone was brought down in its territory but did not say what it was carrying. Officials have recently revealed weapons were being smuggled as well as narcotics by drone.

Jordanian officials said the increasing use of drones carrying explosives was adding a new dimension in a relentless cross-border billion-dollar drug war the staunch US ally has long blamed on Iranian-backed militias that hold sway in southern Syria.

"This is Iranian targeting of Jordan helped by the presence of their militias near our border. It poses a security threat that goes beyond drugs," Samih Al Maitah, a former minister familiar with developments along the border said.

Syria is accused by Arab governments and the West of producing the highly addictive and lucrative amphetamine captagon and organizing its smuggling into the Persian Gulf, with Jordan a main transit route.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government denies allegations by Jordan and the West of its involvement in drug-making and smuggling, or complicity by Iranian-backed militias protected by its forces.

Jordan, which has intensified military drills along its border with Syria, announced 10 days ago it had foiled a large smuggling operation.

During a visit by the top US general last week, Jordan raised getting more US support for its efforts to curb drug trafficking by Iranian militias, Jordanian officials say.

General Mark Milley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed in an interview that Washington was working closely with its ally to provide equipment, training and advice to deal with the growing drug trafficking threat.

Nasser Kanaani, spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, explained the details of the agreement during a press briefing, stating that the Iraqi government had undertaken the commitment "to disarm the armed terrorist groups stationed in Iraq's territory by September 19, and subsequently, evacuate and transfer them from their military bases to camps designated by the Iraqi government."

Kanaani stressed that the stipulated deadline would remain non-negotiable. Despite characterizing the relationship between the two countries as "entirely friendly and warm," he acknowledged that the presence of these dissident groups in northern Iraq had cast an undesirable shadow on mutual diplomatic ties.

Historically, Iran has intermittently executed targeted operations against the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Iran (KDPI) and other Iranian Kurdish dissident elements operating within Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, adjacent to Iran's borders.

Various Iranian dissident factions in Iraq have aligned their allegiances with the two principal Iraqi Kurdish parties: the Kurdistan Democratic Party, headquartered in Erbil, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party, with its stronghold in Suleimaniyah.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who assumed his role via a coalition of Iranian-backed political entities last year, is widely perceived to share close alignment with Iran although he has also attempted to build ties with the United States and Turkey.

Citing an official from the Syrian military, SANA reported that Israeli aircraft, originating from the Mediterranean Sea, carried out the attack at approximately 4:30 am, Monday.

Whilst No casualties have been reported, the incident marks one of several attacks on the airport this year, including two strikes in March that also resulted in its temporary closure.

Israeli officials have yet to issue an immediate comment or acknowledgment about today’s event but the country has carried out a series of strikes on targets within government-controlled areas of Syria in recent years. While these operations predominantly focus on military installations or Iranian-backed factions, Israel rarely confirms or discusses its actions. It is believed that these targeted operations aim to intercept arms shipments from Iran destined for militant groups supported by Tehran, including Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Over the course of Syria's 12-year-long conflict, thousands of Iran-backed fighters from across the region have joined the conflict, contributing to the advantage of President Bashar Assad's forces.

Aleppo, which suffered substantial damage during the Syrian civil war, experienced further destruction following a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in February and also greatly damaged the city's infrastructure.

Reports have also emerged from The Washington Post, citing classified US intelligence, that Iran had covertly dispatched weapon shipments to Syria under the guise of humanitarian aid. These alleged actions were said to have occurred in the wake of the earthquake and were intended for use against US forces.