Canadian PM says victims would still be alive if not for rising tensions partly triggered by US

This article is more than 8 months old

This article is more than 8 months old

Victims of an Iran-downed jetliner would still be alive were it not for a recent escalation of tensions partly triggered by the US, Justin Trudeau has said.

“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,” the Canadian prime minister said in an interview with Global television.

He added that the international community had been “very, very clear about needing to have a non-nuclear Iran”, but also in “managing the tensions in the region that are brought about by US actions as well”.

The Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 was shot down by a missile shortly after taking off from Tehran before dawn last Wednesday, killing all 176 people onboard.

By Ottawa’s count, 57 of the passengers were Canadian citizens, many of them dual Iranian nationals.

Longstanding US-Iran tensions have soared since 3 January, when missiles fired from a US drone killed a top Iranian commander, Qassem Suleimani, near Baghdad’s airport.

Iran responded by firing a barrage of missiles at two US bases in Iraq, inflicting no casualties in what was seen as an attempt to prevent a spiral of escalation.

Hours later, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps unit mistakenly shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet, in what the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, called a “human error”.

Trudeau also said he would have “obviously” liked a heads-up from Washington about the drone strike on Suleimani.

Over the weekend, Trudeau demanded that Iran provide Canada with “full clarity” on the downing of the airliner.

The prime minister said he made the demand in a call with Rouhani, who admitted earlier on Saturday that the airliner was mistakenly shot down by Iranian missiles.

At a televised press conference on Saturday, Trudeau said he told Rouhani the admission was “an important step” but “many more steps must be taken”.

“A full and complete investigation must be conducted,” he said. “We need full clarity on how such a horrific tragedy could have occurred. Iran must take full responsibility.”

The accident came as a deep blow to the Iranian community in Canada, which is home to North America’s largest Iranian diaspora. According to the last census, there were 210,000 Canadians of Iranian origin living in this country in 2016.

“I am, of course, outraged and furious that families across this country are grieving the loss of their loved ones, that the Iranian-Canadian community is suffering so greatly, that all Canadians are shocked and appalled at the senseless loss of life,” Trudeau said on Saturday.

“It’s a huge tragedy for the entire country and not just for the Iranian community.”

Asked whether Ottawa would demand that Tehran pay financial compensation to the families of Canadian victims, Trudeau indicated that it would.

The prime minister also said he insisted to Rouhani that Canada be allowed to participate in the investigation.

Three members of a Canadian rapid deployment team flying to Tehran will have access to the plane’s wreckage and blackboxes, Iranian officials confirmed on Monday.