A cargo ship sails in the Arabian Gulf towards Strait of Hormuz in United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (Image Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

By Dylan Robertson, Canadian Press

Middle Eastern Conflict

Anand says Canada’s focus in Iran war is on unblocking Strait of Hormuz

Mar 17, 2026 | 9:01 AM

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says she agrees with Prime Minister Mark Carney that the U.S. attack on Iran violates international law — and so does Iran’s blockade of the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping route.

Anand says Canada is looking at how it can support Gulf countries being attacked by Iran as Tehran pushes back on the war launched by the U.S.

Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas exports transit through the Strait of Hormuz and the blockade is causing a spike in fuel prices and disrupting food sources for some of the world’s poorest people.

Anand says there “should be no weaponization of international shipping lanes.”

The minister would not say previously whether Washington violated international law by bombing Iran, until Carney said it appeared that was the case.

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Anand also would not say whether U.S. President Donald Trump is coercing American allies by linking their lack of support for his war in Iran with Washington’s support for the NATO military alliance.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2026.