Canada Declines to Join US-Israel Military Operations Against Iran

Washington – Canada does not intend to join the United States and Israel in military operations against Iran, according to Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand.

“Canada was not consulted, Canada is not participating in military operations, and Canada does not intend to be involved in offensive military operations,” she stated during a virtual press conference from Turkey on Tuesday, 17 March.

Anand said Canada had no knowledge of any request from US President Donald Trump for NATO member countries to participate in operations against Iran or to assist in ensuring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

“To our knowledge, no request has been submitted to NATO for such assistance. As a founding member, Canada remains committed to collective defence and deterrence,” Anand said.

She added that there had been no discussions among NATO allies regarding the mechanisms that would trigger action by the alliance’s collective defence framework.

When asked whether she had spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about efforts to maintain the Strait of Hormuz’s accessibility, Anand stated that she had not communicated with him since US military operations against Iran commenced.

Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had stated that Canada supported US and Israeli strikes against Iran “with regret” and did not rule out the possibility of Canadian involvement in the conflict.

On 28 February, the US and Israel began attacking several targets in Iran, including Tehran, resulting in damage and civilian casualties.

Iran subsequently retaliated by striking Israel and US military targets in the Middle East.