This action by the Trump administration could be seen as part of US maximum pressure campaign against Iran that has not only failed to reach a “better deal” with Iran but it is constantly drifting the countries closer toward a direct military confrontations that will ultimately result in heavy costs for the region and the global community.
Additionally, this is an action that nearly all influential figures in Iraq condemned; indeed, the UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard, also called it illegal and a violation of international human rights law. At this moment, Canada must take a definitive stance against war and further escalation in the region. Furthermore, it is important to remember that Canada itself has real and important stakes in this volatile situation; it has approximately 850 soldiers in the Middle East and 500 in Iraq, and that any slide towards war puts the lives of Canadian soldiers in danger. The Iranian Canadian Congress believes Foreign Minister Champagne needs to take a stronger stance than that taken in his statement earlier today and squarely condemn acts of war by the Trump administration and work with our regional and European allies to prevent another disastrous war in the Middle East.