Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has called for parties involved in the war in Iran to de-escalate hostilities quickly – and said while he supports the strikes, it is a position he takes “with regret”.
Carney, speaking to reporters in Sydney, his second stop on an Indo-Pacific tour, said of Iran that Canada “has long supported the imperative of neutralising this grave global threat”.
He added: “We do, however, take this position with regret, because the current conflict is another example of the failure of the international order.”
The US and Israel began striking Iran on Saturday. Iran responded by firing missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf states allied to the US.
While speaking with reporters in Australia, Carney was critical of the US and Israel for acting “without engaging the United Nations or consulting with allies, including Canada”.
The Canadian leader said Iran having a nuclear bomb would be a “massive threat” and described Iran’s regime as “the biggest exporter of terror in the world,” which had “murdered scores of Canadians”.
“Nobody has a civil nuclear programme that’s buried a mile beneath the desert,” Carney said. “That is a threat.”
In Sydney, Carney also faced questions about his conversations with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week.
He described those discussions as “frank”.
Prior to the trip, a Canadian official suggested India is no longer linked to violent crimes or threats on Canadian soil.
“I really don’t think we’d be taking this trip if we thought these kind of activities were continuing,” the official said during a briefing.
Some Canadian Sikhs reject the government assessment, saying they still face threats from India, which Delhi denies.
“To engage, you have to be able to talk to countries, countries where there have been issues,” Carney prime minister said.
“And to raise issues, including at the highest levels, to ensure that the co-operation is there, whether it’s extortion or some other form of cross-border criminal activity or security risks.”
Carney added that high-ranking Canadian officials have been in contact with top Indian defence and national security officials “from the moment that we re-established a dialogue at the leader level with India”.
Under Carney, the two governments are trying to repair ties that were strained when his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, publicly accused Delhi of a link to the 2023 assassination of Sikh separatist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the province of British Columbia (BC).
India vociferously rejected the allegation by Trudeau.
Trade and diplomatic relations almost came to a standstill as both sides expelled each other’s diplomats and cancelled visa services. Canada hosts a huge expatriate Indian community.
The case of four men charged over Nijjar’s killing is still before the courts in British Columbia.
This week, Canada and India also announced a “landmark” nuclear energy deal, as well as other deals on critical minerals, space, defence and education.
By BBC News
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