TEHRAN – A recent Globe and Mail article by Robert Fife details an alleged assassination plot against 84-year-old former Canadian Special Envoy on Holocaust Remembrance and Justice Minister Irwin Cotler. Who tried to assassinate him? Iran, the report says. 

The article claims Cotler's been under 24/7 police protection for over a year. And yet, someone thought it was crucial to "warn" him about an imminent threat last month, telling him that he was going to be attacked by “agents” linked to Iran within the next 48 hours. 

The article further claims that the FBI has also contacted Cotler regarding related assassination operations and that the former politician himself has warned about Iranian interference in elections and the spread of disinformation. 

Fife says Cotler is being “targeted” due to being a “critic” of the Iranian government

Who is Irwin Cotler?

Cotler served as Canada’s justice minister and attorney general from 2003 to 2006. He was once Ottawa’s special envoy on Holocaust remembrance as well. Western media says Cotler has been a “human rights activist” since he retired from politics in 2015. A closer look at his whereabouts and links, however, shows he has been anything but.

An Israeli media outlet reporting on the alleged assassination plot against Cotler said Iran is trying to get rid of someone who has been a “staunch supporter of Israel” throughout his long career. The outlet which prides itself on being an advocate of the “Jewish state” further explains how Cotler has “stayed by Israel’s side” in the past year, refusing to follow in the footsteps of Western figures criticizing Tel Aviv for its ongoing crimes in Gaza. 

It is unclear how a “human rights activist” can be supportive of a genocide. It seems the former politician is perfectly comfortable watching the live-streamed carnage in Gaza—Palestinian children and women reduced to ashes – while bloviating about how all human beings should be respected and protected. 

According to information gathered by the Tehran Times, Cotler is also a noble champion of the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization, a terror group that has the blood of over 18,000 Iranians on its hands and openly boasts about its plans to kill more people. 

Flaws, flaws, and...flaws

There are significant flaws in Fife’s reporting, who is an avid advocate of aggression against Iran based on his previous texts on the country. 

The article relies heavily on unnamed sources and lacks verifiable evidence to support its central claim. The RCMP itself has not publicly confirmed the alleged assassination plot or the existence of suspects, who the author says are two, significantly undermining the credibility of the report. The absence of concrete evidence casts doubt on the reliability of the law enforcement claims regarding the conspiracy and its alleged perpetrators.

The article portrays Cotler as a central figure in the alleged Iranian threat, describing him as a "human rights crusader." However, this portrayal overlooks Cotler’s outspoken support for Israel, and his not-so-secret ties to a notorious Iranian terror group. Cotler's influence is also overstated. It is extremely unlikely that the Iranian government would be this preoccupied with an Israeli and Western puppet in his mid-80s when there are thousands of others like him in the Western world.  

What’s the purpose of the article?

The article's narrative structure and tone strongly suggest a calculated campaign to generate anti-Iran propaganda. The emphasis on threats against a supposedly prominent figure appears strategically designed to justify further hostility towards Iran, a tactic likely driven by a loss of influence in the existing media narrative. Western and Israeli interests are seeking new pretexts for escalating pressure and inflicting further damage on the Iranian people.