TORONTO (AP) -- Canada has dropped many of the sanctions it imposed on Iran over that country's nuclear ambitions.

Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said Friday that he wants to re-open a dialogue with Iran. The dialogue effectively ended in 2012 when the previous Conservative government severed relations, closed Canada's embassy in Tehran and expelled Iranian diplomats.

Dion says the easing of sanctions on financial services, imports and exports reflects Iran's compliance with an international agreement to curtail its nuclear research programs.

Dion says the changes do not mean a wide-open market. Some exports or services that could assist in the development of ballistic missiles will still be restricted.

By AP