IRAN: Contacts between Canadian and Iranian spy services revealed in Wikileaks release

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Even though Canadian officials told American counterparts that they were ‘very, very worried’ about Iran’s ambitions and actions, they continued to maintain contacts between Ottawa and Tehran’s spy services, said a secret July 9, 2008, dispatch by the United States Embassy in the Canadian capital.

Jim Judd, retired chief of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, told an American diplomat that his agency had recently talked to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security after the agency had requested ‘its own channel of communication’ to Canadians.

He told Americans, ‘The Iranians agreed to ‘help’ on Afghan issues, including sharing information regarding potential attacks.’

Both Canadians and Americans are part of the international forces attempting to secure Afghanistan.

The Canadians were deeply suspicious of the Iranians’ motives and appeared to have rebuffed the offer.

‘We have not figured out what they are up to,’ Judd was quoted as saying, since the Iranians want the multinational force in Afghanistan in to ‘bleed ... slowly.’

-- Borzou Daragahi in Beirut