Trudeau condemns Iranian missile strikes on bases
PM says efforts to train security forces, stabilize Iraq must continue
OTTAWA— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned Iran’s missile strikes against two Iraqi military bases late Tuesday and said NATO must continue its training and stabilization efforts in Iraq.
Trudeau spoke to reporters Wednesday in Ottawa as the country continued to process news that 63 Canadians were killed after a plane crashed outside Tehran earlier that day. But the “sombre day” came after recent “deeply concerning events in Iraq,” Trudeau said, including Iran’s missile strikes against the Ain al-Asad base and an airfield in Irbil Tuesday night.
“Canada condemns the missile attacks launched by Iran last night. I am relieved, as are all Canadians, that all personnel deployed in Iraq are safe,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau confirmed Canadian Forces personnel were present at the Irbil base when the rockets fell, and again urged for deescalation in the region. But Canada has once again found itself in the middle of a fight between the United States and one of President Donald Trump’s favourite belligerents.
Trump signalled Wednesday he’ll pressure NATO allies to increase their presence in the Middle East amid a tense standoff between the U.S. and Iran. It wasn’t immediately clear what Trump expected NATO countries — including Canada — to do.
Trudeau expressed a willingness to discuss the future of allied efforts to help stabilize Iraq and train security forces. He was clear that he believes those efforts must continue, even as Iraqi politicians call for a withdrawal of U.S. forces from their country.
“People in Iraq, including at the political level, recognize how important it is to maintain a strong presence in the fight against Daesh, that it is something that requires international support to do,” Trudeau said.
“I think that in the weeks and months to come there will be conversations about what will be the way forward to continue to stabilize Iraq, to continue to fight against Daesh, and that will be a conversation with our partners in the region, but also the members of the coalition (against Daesh or ISIL) and NATO.”
Iran launched missiles against the two facilities in Iraq where Iraqi, U.S. and coalition forces are stationed; retaliation for the Trump administration’s killing of a top Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, in a drone strike on Jan. 3 in Iraq.
The U.S. accused Soleimani, who was head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, of planning imminent attacks on U.S. interests in the Middle East — although some reports have questioned that assertion.
Asked if he trusted the Trump administration’s explanation, Trudeau simply said the U.S. “made a decision based on their threat assessment.”
“Canada has long been aware of the threat posed by the (Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps) on regional and global safety and security,” Trudeau added. The RCMP confirmed Wednesday that they have temporarily suspended police training operations in Iraq, and that the 12 Canadian police officers deployed in that country are all safe and accounted for.
Conservative MP James Bezan said that Canada needs to take a “hard approach” with Iran in light of the missile attacks, including additional economic sanctions and listing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. “It better not just be appeasement. It should be that there are consequences for their actions,” Bezan, the opposition defence critic, said in an interview.
Bezan called Iran’s attack a “needless retaliation” to the U.S. airstrike that killed Soleimani earlier this month.
“I know that we all want to see de-escalation and we want to avoid war … but we need to keep in mind that the killing of terrorist Soleimani was done to prevent future harm and it was also payback for the incredible carnage he has left through the Middle East,” Bezan said.
It’s not clear when NATO training operations will resume in Iraq. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Wednesday the Canadian Forces’ primary concern is the protection of their personnel as tensions remain high in the region.