Canada has restored sanctions on 11 Iranian entities it says support sensitive nuclear work, missiles or related financing

PARIS – International News Service – Canada has restored sanctions on 11 Iranian entities that Ottawa says support Iran’s sensitive nuclear work, ballistic-missile program or related financing.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced the measures Tuesday during a meeting of Group of Seven foreign ministers in Paris. Canada had removed the same entities from its sanctions list in 2016 after Iran took steps under the international nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The 2015 deal placed limits and inspection requirements on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Canada says Iran’s later failure to co-operate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency has renewed concern about whether its nuclear activity can be verified.

The Canadian action follows the return of United Nations and European nuclear-related sanctions in 2025. The European Union says those measures were restored after the process allowed under the 2015 agreement was triggered.

Sanctions generally freeze any property in Canada held by a listed entity and bar Canadians from certain dealings with it. The measures can also restrict access to financing, goods and technology. Their practical effect depends on identifying assets and enforcing the rules across borders.

Global Affairs Canada says the new listings are meant to disrupt financial networks and access to sensitive technology. Anand said Canada wants a verifiable agreement that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and called for full co-operation with international inspectors and a return to negotiations.

Iran maintains that it remains committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, although it has restricted wider access for IAEA inspectors. That dispute is central: Canada and its partners say monitoring has been inadequate, while Tehran rejects claims that its program is aimed at a weapon.

The 11 entities are banks, industrial companies and organizations that were listed in a federal backgrounder. Ottawa says it has now used several legal regimes to sanction 237 Iranian individuals and 276 Iranian entities, but those totals combine different regulations and should not be read as one single Iran list.

What happens next will depend on enforcement, international nuclear talks and any renewed inspection access. Canada’s announcement does not establish that assets were found or frozen in Canada, and the government did not provide an estimate of the financial impact.

Source notes

– Global Affairs Canada, sanctions news release, published Nov. 10, 2026

– Global Affairs Canada, list of the 11 entities, published Nov. 10, 2026