Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson said Canada will continue to judge Iran by its actions and not its words.
He said the Harper government appreciates the efforts of negotiators involved in the historic agreement announced Tuesday in Vienna on an Iranian nuclear deal.
Nicholson said the federal government will examine the deal further before taking any specific Canadian action.
But he said Canada will continue to support the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor Iran's compliance with its commitments.
Iran continues to be a significant threat to international peace and security, he added, saying this is owing to what he says is the regime's nuclear ambitions, its continuing support for terrorism, its repeated calls for the destruction of Israel, and its disregard for basic human rights.
The deal puts limits Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the nuclear deal a "bad mistake of historic proportions" and said the accord will allow Iran "to continue to pursue its aggression and terror in the region."
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the deal the beginning of a new chapter of hope.
U.S. President Barack Obama said every path to a nuclear weapon will be cut off for Iran under this historic agreement.
