TEHEAN- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has criticized Canada’s support for US measures against Iran, saying Ottawa’s position amounts to “submission to intimidation” and will not shield it from pressure by its powerful neighbor.

Baqaei was responding to a joint statement issued Sunday by Canada’s foreign and finance ministers, who called on Iran to end “threats to vessels seeking to transit the Strait of Hormuz” and expressed support for US measures, including economic sanctions, aimed at reopening the strategic waterway.

In a post on X early Tuesday, Baqaei said Ottawa’s position reflected Canada’s willingness to accommodate US pressure, including amid repeated remarks by US President Donald Trump questioning Canada’s sovereignty and suggesting that it could become the 51st US state.

“On the very day the US president, in blatant contempt for Canada’s sovereignty and independence, portrayed the entire country as part of the United States, Canada’s foreign and finance ministers chose to further appease their bullying neighbor,” Baqaei said, accusing Ottawa of issuing a statement on Iran that misrepresented developments in the region.

Baqaei also disputed Canada’s characterization of the situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, saying the waterway had remained open and secure before US-Israeli military aggression against the country on February 28.

He was referring to Iran’s decision to close the Strait of Hormuz on March 2, which Tehran has described as a self-defense measure taken in response to the conflict.

“Canada cannot credibly present itself as a champion of ‘peace and security,’ ‘freedom of navigation,’ and ‘international law’ while simultaneously backing US military aggression and Washington’s interventionist actions in our region,” Baqaei said.

The Iranian diplomat also referred to previous instances in which Washington had failed to honor its commitments, urging Canada instead to support efforts to end US military action and economic pressure against Iran.

“If freedom of navigation is truly the issue, why does Canada — having itself experienced American bad faith and knowing that US signatures are ‘written in pencil’ — choose to support US military aggression and economic terrorism instead of calling for an end to American aggression, blockade, and economic warfare?” Baqaei said.

He concluded by warning that aligning with Washington would not necessarily insulate Canada from pressure or coercion by the United States. “This is neither ‘diplomacy’ nor ‘responsible statecraft’. It is a display of strategic confusion and submission to intimidation — a choice that will not even shield Canada itself from American bullying and aggression,” Baqaei said.