The head of the Canadian Armed Forces says Canada may be called on to help defend Persian Gulf states from Iran’s strikes as the U.S.-led offensive expands into a wider regional war.
The comments come after Prime Minister Mark Carney left the door open to participating in the escalating situation in the Middle East if Canada’s allies need help.

Gen. Jennie Carignan, chief of the defence staff, made it clear that Canada is not participating in Operation Epic Fury, the joint Israeli-U.S. attack on Iran that began six days ago, but stressed the situation is “quite dire and dangerous for the Gulf states.”

On the sidelines of a defence conference in downtown Ottawa on Thursday, the top military commander said “our Gulf partners may require defence and support” and “this would be the type of military options that we could consider.”

Carignan said she’s speaking to European chiefs of defence staff Friday.
“This is the conversation we need to have with Gulf states partners and our European partners to see what we can do together,” she said, adding that could involve redirecting resources.