Carney urges ‘all parties’ in Iran war not to target civilian infrastructure amid Trump threats

Prime Minister Mark Carney urged “all parties” in the United States and Israel’s war with Iran to respect international law and not target civilian infrastructure, following repeated threats to do so by U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Canada expects all parties in this conflict, in any conflict, to respect international laws,” Carney said during a news conference in Brampton, Ont., on Tuesday. 

“That means not targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure. And we urge all parties in this war to follow those responsibilities.”

Carney’s comments came hours after Trump issued his latest threat to Iran, saying that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

WATCH | Carney on threats to civilians in Iran war:

Carney urges all parties in Iran war not to target civilians, civilian infrastructure amid Trump threats

Asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat that ‘a whole civilization will die tonight’ if Iran doesn’t meet his deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada expects all involved parties to respect international laws. ‘That means not targeting certainly civilians or civilian infrastructure,’ Carney said.

That deadline follows earlier extended ones Trump has given Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face major attacks on the country’s civilian infrastructure, something that UN Secretary General António Guterres says would be a clear violation of international law. 

But Carney suggested that Trump — who prides himself as a dealmaker — may be hoping to secure his goals without having to follow through on his threats.

“There is often a gap between what’s said publicly and what’s happening privately,” Carney said.

That tendency for Trump to walk back threats in pursuit of a quick deal has been noted during his ongoing trade war, with a commentator coining the term TACO, standing for “Trump always chickens out” in relation to his backpedaling on some tariff policy.

Trump also claimed on social media that the United States has successfully changed Iran’s government and is now dealing with more amenable leaders.

“Now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen,” Trump wrote. 

The United States killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28 during the opening salvos of its bombing campaign. Iran then named Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, as his successor.

Since then, Israel and the United States have carried out thousands of strikes on Iran, with a reported death toll of over 1,900 people in Iran. Iran has retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israel and the Gulf states.

Asked if he regretted his initial support for the war, Carney said Iran had long been a sponsor of terrorism. 

“The first point that we were making was the desirability of the ending of both that state-sponsored terrorism and the nuclear ambitions of Iran,” he said.

“That remains the case.”

Article source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/carney-iran-war-civilians-9.7154925?cmp=rss