Bangladesh, Sept. 2 -- Canada and Iran could hardly appear more different. One is a wealthy North American democracy closely tied to the United States by geography, trade and decades of military and political cooperation. The other is an independent Middle Eastern power that has spent decades resisting American influence while maintaining close relationships with countries such as Russia and China.

Yet recent developments have exposed an unexpected similarity between Ottawa and Tehran: both are confronting an increasingly coercive Washington, and both are demonstrating the limits of American pressure.

The differences between the two countries remain enormous. Iran is rooted in one of the worlds oldest civilizations and has developed a p...