Carney says his support for U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran ‘not a blank cheque’

Prime Minister Mark Carney says his support for U.S President Donald Trump’s attack on Iran comes amid a “failure of the international order” and is “not a blank cheque.”

In the aftermath of the initial strike over the weekend, Carney said Canada supports the U.S. in preventing the Islamic Republic of Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, calling the regime “the principal source of instability and terror throughout the Middle East” with “one of the world’s worst human rights records.”

“We took a position because we view the nuclear threat and the export of terrorism of Iran over decades as one of the gravest threats to international peace and security,” Carney said during a news conference late Tuesday afternoon eastern time. 

“In that limited sense we supported that aspect. That is not a blank cheque. That is not us participating. That is not us asking for something in exchange for that [support]. That is a just a straight up position.”

Carney’s original statement was applauded in some circles and criticized in others for failing to address international law.  

Speaking from prepared remarks, Carney updated his position, adding “Canada reaffirms that international law binds all belligerents.”

“Canada is actively taking on the world as it is, not passively waiting for a world we wish to be,” he said. 

“We do however take this position with regret because the current conflict is another example of the failure of the international order.” 

WATCH | Carney calls for de-escalation:

Carney calls for ‘de-escalation of hostilities’ in U.S.-led war on Iran

Prime Minister Mark Carney called for a de-escalation of the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran on Tuesday, adding that Canada supports efforts to end the Iranian nuclear program. Carney said that while Canada wasn’t asked to participate in the strikes on Iran, ‘it appears that these actions are inconsistent with international law.’

Carney said despite decades of UN Security Council resolutions Iran still remains a nuclear threat. 

“And now the United States and Israel have acted without engaging the United Nations or consulting with allies, including Canada,” he said. 

This was the first time the prime minister took questions since setting off on a trade-focused international trip six days ago and the first since the airstrikes began over the weekend, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Carney urged for “rapid de-escalation of hostilities.” 

“Diplomatic engagement is essential to avoid a wider and deeper conflict. Innocent civilians must be protected, and all parties must commit to finding enduring agreements to end both nuclear proliferation and terrorist extremism,” he said.

“Canada will pursue this approach with like-minded countries and participants in conflict.”

Liberal MP expressed concerns with Carney’s statement  

Carney’s support for the U.S.-led war didn’t land well with everyone in the Liberal tent.

In an op-ed published on Saturday, former Liberal foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy compared Carney’s statement on Iran to Canada’s decision in 2003 to not support the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He argued, like that invasion, the attack on Iran could not be justified under the United Nations Charter.

“Iran is also not an isolated case,” Axworthy wrote. “It is the seventh country against which President Trump has ordered unilateral use of force while in office. That should be a blaring alarm for a middle power like Canada.”

Breaking ranks with his leader, Liberal MP Will Greaves shared similar views in a video posted to social media on Saturday night.

“We can be clear-eyed about Iran’s human rights record and its abuses and the destructive role that it has played in the Middle East, and still insist on consistency, restraint and the protection of civilians, because that’s what credibility looks like in a fracturing world,” said Greaves, who before he was elected last year was a professor of international relations at the University of Victoria.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said on social media over the weekend that his party supports “the United States, Israel and our allies across the gulf to defend their sovereignty and dismantle the clerical military dictatorship of Iran.”

Article source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/carney-iran-war-9.7112616?cmp=rss