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Canada Complicit in Illegal Bombing of Iran

SPRING MAGAZINE - Op-ed | April 7, 2026

https://springmag.ca/canada-complicit-in-illegal-bombing-of-iran

While Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada “will never participate in” the bombing of Iran, he nevertheless supports it with “regret” while blandly acknowledging that the attacks violate international law. Canada’s political and material support for the U.S./Israeli bombing of Iran therefore makes Canada complicit in what Carney himself acknowledges is an illegal act of military aggression.

Between Carney’s support for the attacks and for the specious U.S./Israeli argument that Iran poses a nuclear threat, Canada is undeniably a supporter of a war that has killed and displaced countless civilians in Iran, Lebanon, and other states within the region.

Canada’s support for U.S. and Israel

Canada’s support for the United States and Israel spans much more than just the bombing of Iran. In spite of Israel’s current bombardment of Lebanon, the ongoing Gaza genocide and the ethnic cleansing of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Canada continues to maintain strong business and military bonds with the expanding Zionist state. This includes trade treaties and the exchange of military goods and surveillance technology tested on Palestinians.

Like all past Prime Ministers, Carney is beholden to Canadian business elites and associated political agents who fear the economic consequences of opposing America’s agenda.

To appease the U.S. and Israel, Canada obediently considers Iran, “…the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism… [because]… it funds, trains and supports Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the IRGC’s Quds Force” as well as Yemen’s Ansarallah (Houthis).

This definition of terrorism, applied against resistance to illegitimate power and aggression, is consistent with American and Israeli interests and forms the basis of further aggression against Iran. In essence, Canada justifies the attacks on Iran through a narrowly-applied definition of terrorism deployed by the U.S. and Israel—it is justified because the aggressors have said so.

As a result, Carney’s Liberals are not the only Canadian party to support the war. Canada’s Conservative Party strongly supports the bombing of Iran and recently issued a statement replete with dubious claims, including the unsupported claim that “the regime in Tehran is the principal source of terror in the Middle East and around the world. It tried to build nuclear weapons to annihilate our allies.” Thankfully, the New Democratic Party has clearly rejected the U.S./Israeli aggression.

In stark contrast to Carney’s contradictory stance (attempting to reconcile support with acknowledgement of the illegal nature of the bombings) is the position of NATO ally Spain, whose Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez openly denounced Trump’s war on Iran as “dangerous folly” while barring the U.S. military from Spanish air and naval bases.

Canadian military support may already be underway

Even as Carney waffles on the question of whether Canada will send troops into Iran, past events suggest the possibility that Canadian soldiers may already be assisting the U.S./Israeli attacks on Iran. Canada currently has over 200 military members serving in the Middle East in various roles, often linked to U.S. activities. In the past, Canadian troops on deployment during conflicts have ended up involved in active military operations.

Back in 2014, Canada deployed at least 26 soldiers to Iraq as advisers to the U.S. military. According to a 2015 report by the Centre for International Policy Studies, “…Canadian [Special Operations] troops in Iraq are spending [spent] approximately 20 percent of their effort close to, or right at, the front lines…”

While the Carney government has refused to comment anything specific about the activities of the 18 Canadian Armed Forces personnel who are with the U.S. military stationed in Bahrain and Qatar, former Canadian General Denis Thompson stated, “… it’s highly likely some Canadian military members, on exchange with the United States, would have been involved at some level in the planning and co-ordination of air strikes on Iran — something the Department of National Defence disputes.”

War is destroying the world: Canada must act now

Of grave global concern are the economic effects of Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the resultant reduction in the world’s supply of oil and natural gas. Oil prices are already rising, affecting economies and lives everywhere.

Worse still is reckless talk from American and Israeli politicians about launching tactical nuclear weapons against Iran. Such talk has exposed the “Samson Option,” Israel’s plan to launch its entire nuclear arsenal at nearby states if annihilation seems inevitable. Such insanity could easily trigger a global nuclear war and destroy the world.

The world’s most powerful states must exert their full influence to mute this dangerous rhetoric and restore the vital role of diplomacy in achieving a permanent and realistic ceasefire between Iran and the U.S./Israeli aggressors. The world must acknowledge the strength of Iran’s negotiating position since the Islamic Republic has the ability to persevere and control over the flow of oil and other vital goods through the Strait of Hormuz.

Canada’s global status would be enhanced if Mark Carney took a firm stance against this war and tried persuading the Americans and Israelis to stand down and offer Iran a fair solution that accords with international law. It is more likely that he will continue to placate Trump and the Israelis until that course becomes impossible to justify.