Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau appeared to blame “tensions… brought about by U.S. actions” for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) blowing a civilian airliner out of the sky following their missile attack on an Iraqi base.
Trudeau made the comments in an interview with Dawna Friesen of Global News centred around the shootdown, which killed dozens of Canadian citizens of Iranian origin.
Friesen asked the Canadian premier about “the CEO of Maple Leaf… Michael McCain, who says he is mourning and he is livid… time isn’t making him less angry, and he’s very clear on who he blames… ‘U.S. government leaders unconstrained by checks and balances’ — and he says ‘A narcissist in Washington tears world accomplishments apart and destabilizes the region.’ Is he wrong?”
Prime Minister Trudeau would not say the businessman was wrong, answering that “it doesn’t surprise me to see a range of conclusions and messages coming from all Canadians of different types”.
“Do you think that the people who died on that plane are collateral damage in the tensions between Iran and the U.S.?” Friesen followed up.
“I think if there were no tensions, if there was no escalation recently in the region, those Canadians would be right now home with their families,” Trudeau replied.
I’m Michael McCain, CEO of Maple Leaf Foods, and these are personal reflections. I am very angry, and time isn’t making me less angry. A MLF colleague of mine lost his wife and family this week to a needless, irresponsible series of events in Iran…
— Maple Leaf Foods (@MapleLeafFoods) January 13, 2020
Supporters of the U.S. President might be inclined to believe Iran was responsible for the escalation, given its incitement of attacks on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, among other hostile actions in the region — but Trudeau appeared to suggest the Trump administration were the true culprits in his next exchange with Friesen.
“Is there anyone who can mediate between the U.S. and Iran?” she asked.
“I think the international community is being very, very clear both on needing to have a non-nuclear Iran, moving forward with the JCPOA [Iran nuclear deal], while at the same time managing the tensions in the region that are brought about by U.S. actions as well,” Trudeau said.
He then quickly attempted to backpedal, saying that “there is a complex web of shared responsibility throughout the region right now” — although this still appeared to put U.S. responsibility for hostilities on par with that of Iran’s theocratic regime.
Trudeau added that he had spoken to President Trump about “the need to deescalate tensions” and the “need for clear answers on how this happened”.
The Canadian also complained that he was not informed about the U.S. President’s plans to take out IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani in advance, remarking snidely that “sometimes countries take actions without informing their allies”.
WATCH: Corbyn Praised ‘Inclusive’, ‘Tolerant’ Iran at Pro-Soleimani London Islamic Centre https://t.co/SnT3E3DBji
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 6, 2020
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