This archive report was first published on 9 January 2020.
On January 9, 2020, a devastating plane crash in Iran claimed the lives of at least seven people, including a BP reservoir engineer, Sam Zokaei, who was on holiday in the country.
Mr. Zokaei, a 14-year veteran of BP, was an Arabic and Persian speaker, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured the public that his government would ensure a thorough investigation into the incident, saying, “Canadians have questions, and they deserve answers.”
Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne expressed his condolences to the loved ones of the victims, including many Canadians, and stated that he was in touch with the Ukrainian government.
The Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a travel warning, advising Canadians to avoid nonessential travel to Iran due to the volatile security situation, regional threat of terrorism, and risk of arbitrary detention.
“Canadians, particularly dual Canadian-Iranian citizens, are at risk of being arbitrarily questioned, arrested and detained,” the travel warning cautions. “Iran does not recognize dual nationality and Canada will not be granted consular access to dual Canadian-Iranian citizens.”
Transport Canada also announced that Air Canada had altered its routes to ensure the security of its flights into and over the Middle East.
