OTTAWA -- Iran has ordered Canada's ambassador to leave the country, the Canadian foreign minister said late Monday, calling the move entirely unjustifiable.

Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier suggested the expulsion of Ambassador John Mundy, who was recently appointed and yet to have his credentials accepted, was a tit-for-tat move by the government in Tehran.

Canada and Iran have tried to come to an agreement on an exchange of ambassadors for some time, but Canada is not willing to accept the candidates Tehran has proposed thus far. -- AP