'We will defend our allies when it makes sense,' Carney says of possible participation in Iran conflict
CANBERRA — Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday Canada will “defend our allies” when it comes to the war against Iran, not ruling out future military participation.
He also said he stood by his decision not to call for a de-escalation in hostiles when he initially threw Canada’s support behind the attack by the U.S. and Israel, with he and his ministers spending the days since emphasizing they would like to see tensions lowered.
“In terms of war, there are likelihoods, there are possibilities, you have to plan for the worst, but there are no certainties, in conflict,” he told reporters outside of the parliament in Australia, where it was Thursday local time. Carney noted that the conflict has since expanded, as Iran has counterattacked against several other countries.
“It is a very volatile, it’s (an) extremely complex situation, it’s getting more complex as time goes on, but we absolutely stand by the fundamental principle that Iran should not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and to continue to be a serial violator of international law.”
Carney appeared alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, after addressing the national parliament and confirming a new critical minerals deal with the Albanese’s government as Carney seeks to shore up allies to diversify away from the U.S.
Both prime ministers, in the hours after reports that the U.S. and Israel had launched assaults on Iran, issued separate statements declaring their countries’ support of the attack, stating that it was needed to stop Iran’s ambition to develop a nuclear weapon.
Carney has said Canada was not informed of the attacks in advance and that he did not see a role for Canada to play militarily in terms of U.S. action.
Asked specifically whether that would remain the case should the hostiles expand or continue, the prime minister said, “one can never categorically rule out participation.”
“We will stand by our allies when it makes sense.”
He drew a distinction between the offensive launched by the U.S. and Israel and defensive actions.
“We will always defend Canadians,” Carney says. “We will always stand by and defend our allies when called upon.”
His comments come as reports from the Middle East that Iran fired a missile at Turkey, which was shot down by NATO.
Under Article 5 in the NATO alliance, an attack against one member county is considered an attack against the others.
Albanese told reporters that a de-escalation was needed in Iran’s retaliation, including when it comes to the Gulf States.
Carney has faced criticism over Canada’s initial position when it came to the U.S. strikes, reports of which landed as he arrived in India as part of a nine-day trip to drum up new support for trade with Canada, which included stops in India and Australia, with Japan as his next destination.
He has faced criticism from at least one of his MPs as well as Lloyd Axworthy, a former Liberal cabinet minister from the 1990s, for offering Canada’s full-throated support for the U.S. strikes, given questions about their legality under international law.
Over the past few days, the prime minister has further clarified his position, citing the evolving nature of the conflict.
He said Canada took the position it with “with regret,” adding that its initial support for the U.S. strikes was not a “blank cheque.”
Carney, along with Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Defence Minister David McGuinty who travelled with him at different points of his trip, have all emphasized that Canada wants to see the situation de-escalate.
McGuinty has also called for a ceasefire. The prime minister said “necessary conditions” would have to be met and that a de-escalation would first need to happen.
The prime minister, speaking to reporters the day before in Sydney, also said that it appears at first blush the strikes were “inconsistent” with international law.
Asked why he did not include a call for de-escalation in his initial statement voicing support for the strikes on the weekend, Carney said it was made very quickly in the early hours of the conflict.
“Look, it was the very beginning. We made a statement, Australia made a statement within hours of the beginning of the hostilities.”
On Wednesday evening in Australia, before at an event hosted by a think tank, Carney acknowledged there was some level of predicability that the conflict may widen.
Pressed whether in hindsight he ought to have called for de-escalation in its initial statement, Carney said “no.”
National Post
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