Canada closes Teheran embassy, expels Iranian diplomats

OTTAWA (AFP) - Canada closed its Teheran embassy on Friday and ordered Iranian diplomats be expelled, in a damning severance of ties in which it accused the Islamic Republic of being the biggest threat to world peace.

Canada did not cite a specific incident that caused the breakdown, but issued a strongly worded attack on Teheran's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's pariah regime and Iran's "incitement to genocide" against Israel.

In announcing the action, Ottawa cited concerns for the safety of its staff at the diplomatic mission in Teheran and also attacked the failure of Iran's rulers to account for the nation's disputed nuclear program.

"Canada views the government of Iran as the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world today," Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said in a statement.