‘Iran is the principal source of instability’: While world leaders call for ‘descalation’, Carney puts aside feuds to back Trump

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has thrown his support behind Donald Trump’s recent strikes on Iran, a notable move considering their rocky relationship. Carney stated that Canada fully backs the United States’ efforts to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons and to prevent its regime from threatening global peace and security.

Carney emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran is a major source of instability and terror across the Middle East, reminding everyone that its terrible human rights record made it crucial that they never got their hands on nuclear weapons.

His endorsement is relatively unique, though. Many European allies, like France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, are urging caution and calling for de-escalation, pushing for a return to negotiations.

This show of support is interesting because the relationship between Canada and the U.S. under Trump has been a bit of a rollercoaster. We’ve seen sharp disagreements over trade and those steep tariffs from Trump. In January, Carney gave a speech where he talked about a “rupture” in the old world order, and Trump later responded by saying Canada “should be grateful to us” and that “Canada lives because of the United States.”

Well, I don’t support it because it hasn’t been thought through

The U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran on Saturday, and Trump later announced that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was dead. He called it “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.” The apparent death of the Islamic Republic’s leader, who had no clear successor, throws the country’s future into uncertainty and heightens fears of a wider conflict. The UN Security Council has even scheduled an emergency meeting.

While some nations, like Australia and Canada, openly supported the U.S. strikes, others were more critical. Russia’s Foreign Ministry called the strikes “a pre-planned and unprovoked act of armed aggression,” accusing Washington and Tel Aviv of using nuclear concerns as a cover for regime change. China also expressed “high concern” and called for an immediate halt to military action, stressing that Iran’s sovereignty should be respected.

Many countries, especially in the Middle East, condemned Iran’s retaliatory strikes on US military bases in the region but remained silent on the U.S. and Israeli military actions. Oman, which often mediates between the U.S. and Iran, took a different approach, stating that the U.S. action “constitutes a violation of the rules of international law.”

There’s a palpable nervousness across multiple countries. The Norwegian Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide, voiced concerns about the possibility of a “new, extensive war in the Middle East” if negotiations fail. Other EU leaders have issued a joint statement calling for restraint and diplomacy to ensure “nuclear safety.” The Arab League also appealed for de-escalation to spare the region from instability and violence, urging a return to dialogue. 

Meanwhile, Carney urged Canadians in Iran to shelter in place and called for the protection of all civilians caught in this conflict.