“Ships, mine clearance assistance, intelligence support, cybersecurity – all of that is on the table, and we're sharing knowledge with our counterparts to see what's the best solution,” David McGuinty said in an interview with public broadcaster CBC.
McGuinty also emphasized that all forms of federal government involvement depend on early cessation of hostilities. – These are considerations based on the assumption that there will be a ceasefire – noted the minister.
Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Chief of the Defense Staff, Gen. Jennie Carignan, are taking part in discussions on the next steps.
Strategy towards the Strait of Hormuz
A week earlier, the prime ministers of Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan issued a joint position. The heads of government condemned Iran for attacks on merchant ships and civilian infrastructure, including gas and oil installations. They also pointed to the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces.
“Freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international law” — wrote the prime ministers in the document. They stressed that “such impacts on international shipping and disruption of global energy supply chains constitute a threat to international peace and security.” At the same time they declared readiness to support activities aimed at ensuring safe navigation through the strait.
Trump's demands and Ottawa's response
On Tuesday last week, Anand said that Canada did not receive advance consultations on US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Referring to US President Donald Trump's demands for NATO countries to help open the Strait of Hormuz, the minister emphasized the importance of collective action. According to her, a prudent step for Trump would be to return to the principles on which NATO was founded, especially collective defense and deterrence performed by the alliance as a whole.
In February, when American and Israeli attacks on Iran began, Tehran blocked the Strait of Hormuz. About 20% of the world flows through this sea route. world supplies of crude oil.
