Neither Israel nor Iran retreated, amid a conflict that endangers civilians in both countries, and since Canada does not have an embassy in Iran, Ottawa must work from afar to support thousands of Canadian citizens to stay there.
Although Canada has an embassy in Israel, it has cut off diplomatic relations with Tehran more than a decade ago.
While the existence of an embassy would give Canada some advantages, analysts and observers say there are limits to what can be done on the ground as the chaos develops.
European officials urged Iran to limit its nuclear program, hoping to clash out of the conflict before President Trump decides whether to join Israel's bombing campaign. Get the latest information about CBCNews.ca, the CBC News app and the CBC News Network for news and analysis
That said, retired diplomat Bruce Mabley, whose positions include serving in the Middle East, said at least having diplomatic presence allows both countries to talk to each other.
“It's stupid not to be there,” he said.
A long way to the border
Canadian Global Affairs did not answer the question of CBC News about how the lack of embassy exists affects Ottawa's efforts to support Canadians in Iran.
But even if Canada does now have an embassy in Tehran, that won't change the fact that the flight isn't leaving the capital. Both Iran and Israel closed spaces when they launched a large number of attacks last week, although Iran recently allowed Indian flights to leave from another part of the country, with several more attacks reported.
Foreign Minister Anita Anand publicly urged Canadians to flee Israel and Iran to Jordan, Armenia and Türkiye.
But for anyone living in the capital of Iran, the journey to Türkiye or Armenian neighbors is a long journey, hundreds of kilometers from anyone in both destinations.
“The border is really far away,” said Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi, a history professor at the University of Toronto.
He said the path taken from the Iranian capital is in trouble with the people trying to escape, which makes the road even more difficult.
A tense journey
One of his students, Hanieh Bakhtiari, recently returned to Iran to visit her parents, and the fight began a few days after it began.
Bakhtiari and her partner fled the country by bus on a nervous 11-hour bus to Turkey, during which time she said she was “constantly looking at the sky” in search of potential attacks.
“We… are very afraid of being attacked on the road,” Bakhtiari said. happen About her journey from Iran.
Israel began a wave of attacks on June 13, targeting Iranian military and nuclear sites, and air strikes killed senior Iranian generals and nuclear scientists.
Human rights activist in Iran said at least 657 people were killed in Israeli attacks as of Thursday, with at least 263 of them being civilians.
Iran launched a retaliatory strike, and the Israeli military estimated to involve at least 450 missiles and 1,000 drones. At least twenty people were killed in Israel.
Israel’s push toward Iran may attract our participation, despite U.S. President Donald Trump postponed the decision.
A year later, CBC's Terry Milewski has exclusive new details
The cost of cutting the bond
The comments among observers are about whether it is better to enjoy the embassy in Tehran.
Peter G. Bates, a retired Canadian diplomat, said: “Having an embassy in Tehran is not a panacea.
Phil Gurski, a former Iranian intelligence analyst with Canadian spy agencies, found himself “on both sides of the debate.”
On the one hand, he said, there is a point of an intolerable line, but when the embassy closes and cuts the bond, “you are essentially blind.”
Gulsky said the government has other ways to monitor events in Iran – including reviewing satellite information, using signal intelligence, or communicating with friendly embassies about what is happening on the ground.
Gurski, Mabley and Bates all pointed out that when the embassies are closed, the government usually asks allies to embassies in the same area for their place of residence in the same area to provide support in their absence.
However, any friendly embassy to support Canada will prioritize the needs of its citizens first.
As the situation escalates between Israel and Iran, any such allies may also make similar demands from other countries where there is no diplomatic presence in Tehran.
Tavakoli-Targhi of t believes that the embassy offers obvious benefits besides enabling diplomats to better access to foreign citizens.
He said the embassy could provide a source of hope for people “in moments of despair”, like many Canadians currently living in Tehran.
