Iran Expels Canadian Ambassador

Iran's government has ordered Canada's new ambassador out of the country in a move that Canadian Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier called 'entirely unjustifiable.' Iran's decision Monday to expel Ambassador John Mundy came as the two governments were in the middle of a tussle over their diplomatic representatives. Canada has twice refused Iran's candidates for its ambassador in Ottawa, accusing them of being student radicals during the 1978-79 revolution with links to the taking of hostages at the US embassy in Tehran.'Unfortunately, we have as yet been unable to accept the candidates Tehran has submitted,' Bernier said in a statement. 'We believe the expulsion of our ambassador is an unfortunate and unjustified consequence of this situation.' Mundy is a career diplomat who was appointed to the post in Tehran in April. Bernier said both countries would continue to maintain embassies in one another's capitals and the Canadian embassy in Tehran would be headed by its charge d'affaires for the time being.