Mark Carney wants to set West Asia alight. Even if Ottawa doesn’t ultimately dispatch warships to assist the US and Israel, the Canadian government once again boosted the supremacist warmongering fanatics in Washington and Tel Aviv who must be brought to heel.
In yet another statement framing Iran as the aggressor in a war instigated by the US and Israel, Canada suggested it was preparing to assist the warmongers disrupt Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz. A joint UK, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Japan and Canada statement noted, “We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces.”
The Thursday statement suggested a willingness to dispatch warships to assist the US in breaking the blockade. “We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning”, noted the joint declaration.
As the price of oil has skyrocketed partly due to Iran’s disruption of its flow, Donald Trump has aggressively pressed NATO and other nations to assist his disastrous war. The US president wants countries to deploy warships to help break the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between the UAE and Iran that 20% of the world’s oil is shipped through.
A strong proponent of the US war on Iran, NATO chief Mark Rutte said on Thursday that the alliance was discussing ways to open the Strait. Suggesting Canada was part of the discussions, Defence Minister David McGuinty told reporters, “If neighbouring states and the Gulf require the assistance of NATO allies, this is something that NATO allies are considering now.”
Friday (today) Trump ratcheted up the pressure. On Truth Social the US president proclaimed, “Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”
Why would Canada dispatch a warship to assist Trump’s bid to break Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz? It is 10,000 kilometres from Canada and very little of the oil consumed in this country traverses that body of water. The vessel would also likely be destroyed and it may drag Canada into more formal participation in the war.
While Canadian officials say, “blocking the strait of Hormuz violates customary international law as well as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea”, they’ve refused to condemn the US and Israel’s aggression on Iran, which is the “supreme international crime”. Additionally, Ottawa’s been silent about Trump’s three-month-old oil blockade on Cuba, which has led to the near collapse of the island nation’s electricity network, another crime under international law.
Over the past three weeks the US and Israel have committed innumerable crimes in Iran. They’ve assassinated top officials while destroying massive amounts of civil infrastructure, including ecologically sensitive oil and natural gas facilities. At the same time Israel has killed over a thousand Lebanese and are seeking to ethnically cleanse the south of that country.
Rather than push back, Canadian officials have justified the US/Israeli aggression on Iran and Lebanon. Through NORAD, a base in Kuwait and troops stationed with the US in the region, Canada has assisted the war. More generally,Canada has worked for many years to weaken Iran diplomatically and economically while offering the genocidal Jewish supremacist state unique forms of assistance.
Dispatching a naval vessel would be a significant escalation in Canada’s role in this devastating war. And it would be contrary to the wishes of Canadians who overwhelmingly disagree with any involvement in the Trump/Netanyahu debacle.
Support Yves’ work. Donate Now.
You must be logged in to post a comment.