Canada Open to Help in Strait of Hormuz

According to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Canada may join international efforts to clear Iran’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. In comments delivered in March, Carney claimed that if the US and Israel can confirm a ceasefire in the Persian Gulf, Canada may join efforts to ensure ships can move freely through the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran blockaded the Strait in response to the U.S. and Israel launching a war on Iran a month ago. On March 19, Canada issued a joint statement with allies and partners expressing a willingness to contribute to efforts to reopen the strait.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow strait off the coast of Iran, is now constantly at risk with Iran and Israel bombing vessels in the region. Nearly a fifth of all the world’s oil is transported through the Strait. Iran’s selection of its new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has also sunk oil prices. Khamenei, the son of slain leader Ali Khamenei, is expected to continue in his father's footsteps of tyrannical, Islamic reign. His father killed tens of thousands of Iranian civilians across his nearly 40-year reign.

During the first week of March, the price of U.S. crude oil jumped by 36%, and Brent crude rose 28% last week. Oil prices have surged as the war, now more than two weeks old, has sucked in countries and places that are critical to the production and movement of oil and gas from the Persian Gulf. Iran has been attacking American military and diplomatic installations across the Gulf Coast, and the bombings have created a precarious situation through the Strait of Hormuz and in multiple energy hubs. Countries like Kuwait and Qatar have long enjoyed a peaceful existence in the Middle East and are now being threatened daily.

Blocking the Strait of Hormuz has been Iran’s primary strategy to inflict damage on the Western powers attacking it. Nearly a quarter of the world’s oil is transported through the Strait. Since Iran’s blockade began, oil prices have skyrocketed, with Brent crude trading at more than $100 a barrel, the panic line that experts placed earlier in March. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway with Iran on one side and Oman on the other.

Iran began assembling its blockade on February 28, just hours after Donald Trump’s attack. Now, Iran has set up a suffocating blockade, and Americans have begun paying the price for Trump’s war at the pump. As of March 22, traffic through the strait had been cut by 95% compared to before the war.

Alexandre Lévêque, an assistant Deputy Minister at Global Affairs, commented before the Senate on March 26.

Lévêque claimed that Canada will have a role to play in the future security of the region. Lévêque said that ‘with a small group of trusted countries’, Canada can impact a period of transition in Iran and in the Gulf Coast. He added that the government would not speculate on how such a transition might occur, or whether that would require another regime change in Iran.

Before Donald Trump’s war on Iran, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said last month that Canada would not restore diplomatic relations with Iran until “regime change” occurs. The Canadian government cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012 under Steven Harper.

Defence Minister David McGuinty also confirmed on Thursday that the federal government is considering sending vessels and cyber expertise to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

According to McGuinty, naval vessels, de-mining expertise, intelligence, and cyber capacities are all examples of how Canada could get involved with the deregulation of the Strait of Hormuz.

McGuinty reaffirmed that Canada would only get involved if there is a ceasefire in place in the region. He added that the French government was leading the potential initiative, and that it will also wait for a ceasefire before getting involved.

In the same news scrum where Mark Carney commented on Canada’s role in the Strait of Hormuz, he was asked about his government’s reluctance to share information about Iranian actions on Canadian troops. The government has been publicly criticized for not releasing information regarding an Iranian attack on a military base in Kuwait that housed dozens of Canadian soldiers. According to Carney, his government is focused on preserving the safety of Canadian military service members.

"It's a matter of keeping the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces safe and sound. There is a time to disclose the details of those events, not necessarily in real time, because there's a war going on." - Mark Carney

As of March 27^th, preliminary figures show harrowing victim counts across the Middle East. In Iran, more than 1,900 people have been killed by US and Israeli strikes. US forces have struck more than 7,000 locations in Iran, and alongside the 1,937 killed, another 24,800 Iranians have been injured, and more than 3 million people have been displaced.

A US strike targeting an all-girls elementary school killed 168 children. In Lebanon, more than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes, with another 3,100 injured and more than 1 million civilians displaced. Thirteen US servicemembers have been killed, and 19 people have been killed in Israel. Since February 28, 168 people have been killed by Iranian strikes across Gulf Countries.