On February 5, 2016, the Government of Canada announced a repeal
of its most restrictive economic sanctions against Iran. The move
followed the announcement by the International Atomic Energy Agency
on January 16, 2016, that Iran complied with measures required
under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and the subsequent
relaxation of domestic sanctions by both the US and the EU.
Canada's decision to follow suit has the potential to reopen
significant opportunities for Canadian companies, who have
effectively been barred from doing business with Iran since
2011.
Canadian sanctions related to Iran are set out in two federal
regulations: the Regulations Implementing the United Nations
Resolutions on Iran (the UN Regulations), and the Special
Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations (the SEMA Regulations).
While the UN Regulations constitute Canada's domestic
implementation of multilateral sanctions enforcing UN Security
Council Resolutions, the SEMA Regulations