August 30, 2023 | The Hill Times
U.S. hostage deal with Iran endangers Canadians
A U.S. policy that rewards Iran for taking hostages only increases the threat to Canadian citizens while undermining Ottawa’s ability to seek justice for the victims of Ukrainian Airlines Flight PS752.
August 30, 2023 | The Hill Times
U.S. hostage deal with Iran endangers Canadians
A U.S. policy that rewards Iran for taking hostages only increases the threat to Canadian citizens while undermining Ottawa’s ability to seek justice for the victims of Ukrainian Airlines Flight PS752.
Excerpt
The United States has reached an agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran that provides the clerical regime with at least $6-billion in sanctions relief in exchange for the release of five American hostages.
Canada may regard this development as unrelated to its Iran policy. Canada would be wrong.
A U.S. policy that rewards Iran for taking hostages only increases the threat to Canadian citizens while undermining Ottawa’s ability to seek justice for the victims of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shot down the plane in January 2020 as it took off from a Tehran airport, killing all 176 people on board, including 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
Tzvi Kahn is a research fellow and senior editor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow him on X @TzviKahn. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy.