Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday called for a swift de-escalation of the conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran, urging all parties to adhere to international rules of engagement.
Speaking in Sydney, Carney described the war in the Middle East as “another example of the failure of the international order”.
“Canada calls for a rapid de-escalation of hostilities and stands ready to assist in achieving this objective,” he said.
“Canada reaffirms that international law binds all belligerents.”
The United States and Israel launched their assault on Saturday, killing Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, within days of US envoys holding talks with Iranian officials in Geneva over a possible nuclear agreement.
Since then, Iran has intensified its retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the Middle East, striking a US consulate and military base on Tuesday, while Washington and Israel said they had targeted key sites in Tehran.
The regional conflict has also increasingly affected Lebanon, where Hezbollah — the armed Shiite movement long backed by Tehran — launched drones and rockets at Israel in response to Khamenei’s killing.
Carney has previously supported the Israeli-US strikes, arguing that Tehran had failed to dismantle its nuclear programme and end its support for militant groups.
On Wednesday, however, he expressed “regret” that international efforts to disarm Iran had not succeeded. He also observed that “the United States and Israel have acted without engaging the United Nations or consulting allies, including Canada”.
His remarks came on the second day of an official visit to Australia, aimed at attracting investment and strengthening ties with a fellow “middle power”.
Later on Wednesday, Carney is due to address the Lowy Institute. On Thursday, he will meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and address parliament in Canberra.
The visit forms part of a broader Asia-Pacific tour designed to reduce Canada’s reliance on the United States — a hedge against what Carney has described as a declining US-led global order.
“Canada is actively engaging with the world as it is, not passively waiting for the world we might prefer,” he told journalists in Sydney.
