MELBOURNE, Australia — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday he supports the strikes on Iran, but did so “with some regret,” describing them as an extreme symptom of a fracturing global order.
Speaking at the Lowy Institute in Sydney during the Australian leg of a three-nation trip that began in India, Carney said he will address the Australian Parliament on Thursday before traveling on to Japan. He warned that dominant geostrategic powers are increasingly operating without constraint or respect for international norms, leaving others to shoulder the fallout. He said the most severe consequences of that shift are now unfolding in the Middle East.
Carney emphasized that Canada was neither informed of nor invited to take part in the recent U.S.-Israeli airstrikes. He told reporters traveling with him that, on first view, the strikes appear inconsistent with international law, while noting that whether they actually violate the law is a matter for others to determine.
He reiterated Canada’s commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon or otherwise threatening international peace and security. Canada has had no formal diplomatic relations with Iran for 15 years amid reported human rights concerns and last year designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.
“We are responding to the world as it is, not passively waiting for the world we would like,” Carney said, adding that his support comes with regret because the current conflict highlights failures in the international system. He pointed out that despite decades of U.N. efforts, Iran’s nuclear challenge persists, and criticized the U.S. and Israel for acting without engaging the U.N. or consulting allies such as Canada.
Carney’s remarks expanded on themes from a January address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he warned the rules-based order is under strain. He also highlighted efforts to deepen Canada-Australia cooperation on critical minerals, artificial intelligence and defense technologies, noting the two countries have collaborated to assemble what he called the largest mineral reserve held by trusted democratic nations.