the plane thing is...it's not as tricky as you want it to be.

the missile attack was clearly an act of war, and the act of war was directed at nato, which canada is a part of, so i do think we should be at war with iran right now. but, the plane itself was a passenger jet transiting from iran to ukraine that just happened, coincidentally, to get in the way and just happened, coincidentally, to get shot down.

it also happened, coincidentally, to be full of canadians.

if we were at war with iran, it might be an emotional subplot. maybe you could put a few bombs aside for the families, if that's what they'd want - which is entirely dubious. i'm imagining wwII propaganda, which came out of centuries of ethnic tensions; in reality, most of the victims have family in iran. revenge probably isn't the most relevant feeling. the most relevant feeling is grief, and exasperation, and a longing to hold on to what's left. these people don't want their remaining families bombed.....

as it is, we're clearly not at war with iran, and the alliance clearly doesn't want to be.

i think the canadian government should be pushing iran for financial compensation for the victims, on both continents. it's not sufficient, but it's all there is.

and, it is an opportunity for iran to prove they can be grown-ups.