Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed regret on Tuesday about the “failure of the international order” that has led to continued attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran.
Carney said in Sydney, Australia, that Australia “has long viewed Iran as a major source of instability and terror in the Middle East.” However, the Canadian prime minister noted that despite “more than two decades of negotiations and diplomatic efforts, Iran has not dismantled its nuclear program nor ceased its enrichment activities.”
“Canada stands with the people of Iran in their long and courageous struggle against the regime’s oppressive rule,” Carney added. “That is why we support preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and preventing its regime from further threatening international peace and security. Because Canada is proactively responding to the world as it is, rather than passively waiting for the world we want it to be.
“However, we do regret this position, as the current conflict is yet another example of the failure of the international order.”
The United States and Israel began attacking Iran on Saturday, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a number of other senior political and military leaders of the Middle Eastern country. As of 4:10 a.m. ET, more than 780 Iranians had been killed in the attacks, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, as retaliatory actions by Iran and its proxies plunged the region into conflict.
The joint action comes after U.S. and Iranian negotiators discussed curbing Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile development on Thursday, brokered by Oman.
In his speech on Tuesday, Carney noted that despite “decades of UN Security Council resolutions, the tireless work of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and a range of sanctions and diplomatic frameworks, Iran’s nuclear threat remains.”
The United States and Iran previously reached an agreement through the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to limit the latter’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. But President Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement during his first term.
Now that the conflict has begun, Carney called for a “rapid de-escalation of hostilities” and “commitment to a broader political solution.”
“Now, the United States and Israel have taken action without engaging the United Nations or consulting their allies, including Canada,” he added. “Diplomatic engagement is critical to avert a wider, deeper conflict. Innocent civilians must be protected and all parties must commit to a lasting agreement to end nuclear proliferation and terrorist extremism.”
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