OTTAWA - A leading Iranian dissident is accusing the Harper government of fuelling hysteria with unhelpful rhetoric on Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, says the vilification of Iran's leaders increases the likelihood of an armed conflict between Iran and Israel.
Parsi says recent remarks by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird amount to repeating talking points by the Israeli government.
Harper has called Iran the greatest threat to world peace, while Baird has compared the Tehran regime to Nazi Germany.
Parsi says the Obama administration has purposely tried to dial down inflammatory rhetoric in order to find a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear standoff with the West.
Parsi says Iran's mullahs are also responsible for ratcheting up tensions through inflammatory language, but that doesn't mean Canada should abandon its traditional role as a pragmatic, moderate voice on the world stage.
