Why co-operation with Tehran matters
Allowing Iran to show it’s not a ‘rogue regime’ could help Canada avoid being pulled into Trump’s push for NATO to enter Middle East
Canada and Iran are co-operating to an unusual degree as they investigate last week’s fatal downing of a civilian airliner. It is in the interest of both countries that they keep doing so.
Iran’s aim is to demonstrate to the rest of the world that it is not a rogue regime. This explains Tehran’s surprisingly rapid about-face on culpability.
After initially denying that it had anything to do with the crash of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752, the Iranian government suddenly reversed itself and accepted responsibility for shooting the airliner out of the sky.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called his own country’s action “unforgivable.”
Foreign Minister Mohamad Javad Zarif issued an apology to the families of the 176 killed in the crash, including those from “other affected nations” such as Canada.
Even Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, was contrite, calling on Iran’s armed forces to determine who was responsible for the missile strike.
All of this is noteworthy because it is uncommon.
Nations that mistakenly kill innocent civilians are not always quick to accept responsibility.
For instance: After mistakenly shooting down an Iranian passenger jet in 1988, the U.S. ragged the puck for eight years before finally agreeing to compensate the families of the 290 it had killed.
Even then, Washington refused to admit legal liability or apologize.
Similarly, Moscow has refused to accept any responsibility for the 2014 downing of a Malaysian airliner.
A Dutch-led inquiry found that the civilian plane, with 298 on board, had been hit by a Russian surface-to-air missile launched from rebel-held territory in Ukraine.
Iran, however, is in a more difficult situation. Crippled by U.S. economic sanctions, it cannot afford to make any more enemies.
Hence its willingness to accept blame and co-operate with countries, such as Canada, in the investigation of the crash.
Up to now, at least, Iran appears to have kept its word.
It has allowed Canadian investigators onto the crash site, giving them more access than is required under international law.
In return, Ottawa has refrained from using incendiary language to describe Iran.
Instead, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been politely firm, but consistent.
Canada, he says, wants a full investigation to understand what happened. And it wants justice, including compensation, for the families of the 57 Canadians killed.
But then Canada, too, has an interest in reducing tensions between Iran and the West.
Donald Trump wants NATO countries like Canada to join the U.S. in confronting Iran — or as he puts it — become much more “involved” in the Middle East.
The U.S. president has even come up with a new name for his recalibrated alliance.
“You call it NATO-ME,” he told reporters recently.
“What a beautiful name.” Drawing NATO into the Iran quagmire would allow Trump to confront Tehran militarily without risking as many American lives.
It would also fit into his crusade against free riders. Trump argues that since Europe is more dependent on Middle East oil than the U.S., it should bear more of the financial and human cost of policing the region.
Other NATO members are less enthusiastic about this idea. But many would find it hard to dismiss the alliance’s senior partner out of hand.
Canada would find it particularly difficult. Thanks in large part to the North American Free Trade Agreement, it is dependent economically on the U.S. It cannot afford to be in Trump’s bad books.
That’s why Ottawa, too, has an interest in defusing the standoff against Iran. Allowing that country to demonstrate that it is more or less normal — albeit through the handling of a disaster for which it was responsible — may help to achieve this goal.
Drawing NATO into the Iran quagmire would allow Trump to confront Tehran militarily without risking as many American lives