Atrophy of U.S. political and moral authority presents Ottawa with a serious foreign policy challenge, writes Sam Khanlari.

It is abundantly clear that Canadas Liberal government is unwilling to spend any political capital on fulfilling its pledge to re-establish links with Iran, and the latest sign of support by Harper for the MEK will only exacerbate the estrangement between Ottawa and Tehran.

Coverage of the demonstrations as "anti-government protests" obscures their significance, and excludes Iranians committed to reform from the conversation.