Canada, allies say they’re ready to help stop Iran’s shipping blockade

By Canadian Press on March 19, 2026.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney has endorsed a statement from Canada and its allies expressing their willingness to contribute to efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz more than two weeks into the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

The statement does not say how they propose to help, although Defence Minister David McGuinty says Canada is “considering” aiding Iran’s neighbours if they seek assistance from the NATO alliance.

In response to the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes launched on its territory last month, Iran limited traffic through the strait — through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas transits — and bombed major fuel shipping sites, causing global oil prices to spike.

Canada joined the statement shortly after it was published by the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan.

Next week, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand will be pitching her G7 peers in Paris on possible off-ramps to end the war.

Anand tells The Canadian Press that Iran’s blockage risks humanitarian crises in poor countries, and she is working with both traditional allies and newer Middle East partners to protect civilians.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2026.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press