Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei on Monday accused Canada of "appeasing" the United States by issuing a joint statement targeting Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz, calling Ottawa's position a case of "strategic confusion and submission to intimidation."
In a post on X, Baqaei said Canada's foreign and finance ministers had chosen to "further appease their bullying neighbour" by releasing a statement he said "distorts every fact about the situation in our region."
He noted that the statement came on the same day the US president had, in his words, shown "blatant contempt for Canada's sovereignty and independence" by depicting the country as part of the United States.
The Canadian statement, issued jointly by the two ministers, said Ottawa would maintain "significant pressure" on Iran, including backing efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and continuing sanctions under the US-led Operation Economic Outcast.
The ministers said Canada would keep working with global partners on "additional measures" to end what they termed Tehran's "malign behaviour."
Baqaei rejected the framing, arguing that the strait "was open and secure" before what he called a "war of aggression" launched by the US and Israel on 28 February.
"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 said.
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He further questioned why Canada, despite its own experience of what he described as American "bad faith," continued to support Washington's actions rather than call for an end to what he termed US "aggression, blockade, and economic warfare."
He added that Canada's approach was "neither 'diplomacy' nor 'responsible statecraft,'" and warned it would not shield the country from "American bullying and aggression."
The exchange comes against the backdrop of a Hormuz crisis that has run since February, when Iran shut the strait to shipping after US and Israeli strikes on its territory, disrupting global energy trade.
Canada has since imposed sanctions on more than 200 Iranian individuals and entities and joined multiple allied statements condemning Tehran's actions in the waterway.
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