Iran’s foreign ministry has launched a sharp attack on Canada over the Iran Canada Hormuz dispute, accusing Ottawa of ‘a display of strategic confusion and submission to intimidation’ for backing US-led efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The rebuke came from Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, posting on X, and landed at a moment when Canada’s own relationship with Washington is under acute strain.
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, is one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes. Efforts to keep it open to commercial traffic have drawn in a widening coalition of countries, making the diplomatic fallout increasingly complicated for governments caught between Tehran and Washington.
What Canada actually said
The spat was triggered after Canada condemned what it called Iran’s ‘destabilising actions’ in the Middle East. Ottawa said it would work with partners to maintain pressure on Iran through sanctions and by supporting efforts, led by the US, France and the UK, to reopen the strait.
Baghaei rejected that framing entirely. ‘Canada cannot credibly present itself as a champion of “peace and security”, “freedom of navigation”, and “international law” while simultaneously backing US military aggression and Washington’s illegal, interventionist actions in our region,’ he wrote. He went further, arguing that Canada’s support for Washington would not even protect Ottawa from what he described as ‘American bullying and aggression.’
He also questioned why Canada would side with the US given what he called ‘American bad faith,’ pointing to recent trade tensions as evidence. ‘This is neither “diplomacy” nor “responsible statecraft”. It is a choice that will not even shield Canada itself from American bullying and aggression,’ Baghaei said.
The Iran Canada Hormuz dispute and the wider coalition
The international effort to secure the strait has been building for months. According to Wikipedia’s account of the 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis, in May 2026 the United Kingdom announced the deployment of drones, fighter aircraft and a Royal Navy warship to participate in an international defensive mission aimed at protecting commercial shipping through the waterway.
The groundwork for that coalition had been laid earlier. According to the Observer Research Foundation, France and the UK convened a series of international consultations involving 51 countries in Paris in April 2026 to develop a defensive escort framework for merchant vessels. The EU also considered expanding the mandate of Operation ASPIDES, rather than creating an entirely new institutional framework, to take on mine-clearing and maritime security tasks in the strait. Canada’s stated support for that broader effort is precisely what drew Tehran’s fire.
Baghaei’s post on the subject of Canada also carried a pointed reference to Trump’s domestic politics. He noted that Canada had chosen to back Washington ‘on the very day the US president, in blatant contempt for Canada’s sovereignty and independence, portrayed the entire country as part of the United States.’ That was a reference to a post by US President Donald Trump showing US territory drawn to include Canada, Greenland and Iceland. In his second term, Trump has repeatedly made comments about making Canada the 51st state of the US.
Canada-US relations and the tariff backdrop
The timing makes Ottawa’s position awkward. Trade talks between Canada and Washington collapsed last month, with Prime Minister Mark Carney saying US demands had gone too far. ‘They asked too much and offered too little,’ he said. That breakdown triggered tariffs on about $20 billion of Canadian goods, with Canada also imposing retaliatory tariffs on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
Baghaei used that context directly, questioning why Ottawa would align itself with a partner that had, in his words, shown it acts in bad faith and that ‘US signatures are “written in pencil.”‘
Iran warns other US allies too
Canada was not the only country to receive a warning. Baghaei also posted on X in Korean, cautioning Seoul against any military involvement in US operations in the region. South Korea’s foreign ministry had reportedly said over the weekend that it was in ‘close communication with relevant countries’ to help restore stability in the Middle East. According to Reuters, Seoul had said it was reviewing options, including military measures, to support freedom of navigation in the strait.
‘Any other country maintaining a military presence or participating in [US] operations in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz can only be regarded as directly supporting the perpetrators of the aggression, and it will lead to serious consequences,’ Baghaei wrote.
Inside the US, criticism of the conflict is growing louder. US Rep. Jason Crow, a member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Armed Services Committee, called the war ‘an absolute quagmire,’ saying it was ‘all predictable and preventable.’ Senator Mark Warner, vice chair of the Select Committee on Intelligence, put a cost on it. ‘The Iran war of choice that Donald Trump started cost Americans $100 billion,’ he said in a video message on X, adding that ‘every two minutes, it goes up by another $1 million.’ Warner said the administration was ‘nowhere’ in terms of stated goals, concluding: ‘This is what happens when you start a war of choice with no plan, no strategy, no allies, and no way to get out.’
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had said early in the conflict that it would not be a ‘forever war’ for Washington. Canada’s next move, having already committed to supporting the US-led framework, will show whether Ottawa holds that position in the face of Tehran’s pressure.
