Ottawa has ‘helped’ more than 500 Canadians in Middle East, minister says

More than 500 Canadians in the Middle East have received support from the federal government during the conflict between Iran and Israel, says Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand.

She added that more than 100 people will be on board a flight leaving Jordan on Tuesday evening.

Anand told reporters in The Hague that those helped, as of Tuesday, have included registered Canadians through the Registration of Canadians Abroad system, while others have arrived “at the border.”

She did not, however, specify how the federal government had helped these Canadians.

“There is much activity, dare I say volatility, on the international stage, but Canada is here and we are doing what we do best, standing up for our interests and helping as many people, including Canadians, at all turns,” Anand said.

She added that additional consular support has been deployed to the region.

The minister also said she had an “unprecedented” call with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi this past Saturday.

“My conversation with the Iranian foreign minister was very much to first, indicate the need for the safety and security of Canadians in Iran. Second, to urge for a diplomatic and peaceful resolution to the conflict and return to the negotiating table, and third, to advocate the importance of PS752 and the victims of PS752,” she said, referring also to Iran’s downing of Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 in 2020.

“It was unprecedented, but the reason for the call was very specific and I have outlined those three reasons for you here.”

The update from Anand comes a day after senior officials with Global Affairs Canada provided an update on the situation in the region, with those officials saying all Canadians in Israel and the West Bank who wanted departure assistance were provided options.

Anand did not specify in her remarks which countries in the region the more than 500 Canadians who received support were living in, nor where the more than 100 people being flown out had travelled from.

Canada has no diplomatic representation in Iran, however, officials said staff have been at various Iranian crossings to assist Canadians, with more than  20 members of its Standing Rapid Deployment Team in the region.

More than 4,000 inquiries from Canadians in the region have been received since June 12, senior officials said.

Global Affairs Canada has urged Canadians in Iran to “leave now,” since it is unable to provide assistance within Iran.

Canadian consular staff have been deployed in neighbouring countries in the region, including in Turkiye, Armenia and Azerbaijan, for Canadians who are able to leave Iran via border crossings.

Details of where they should exit Iran and where they can find consular assistance will be sent to Canadians who are registered with Global Affairs Canada.

The update from Anand came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced Iran and Israel had agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire” to be phased in over 24 hours.

The status of that ceasefire is unclear.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel had struck an Iranian radar in response to an Iranian missile attack earlier Tuesday, after the ceasefire had taken effect.

Iran’s military denied firing on Israel, state media reported, though explosions boomed and sirens sounded across the country’s north.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents requiring assistance can contact GAC’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre through various means:

They can also follow GAC’s social media accounts on X and Facebook.

— With files from The Associated Press