Prime Minister Mark Carney said he supports the U.S. action in Iran, but Canada will not get directly involved in the conflict after American and Israeli militaries launched an attack on the Middle Eastern country that left its leader dead.
“We have not been party to the military build-up to this or the military planning of this, so it is not envisioned that we would be part of it moving forward,” he said at an event in Mumbai, India, before the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confirmed.
Carney called Iran the “principal source of instability and terror throughout the Middle East” and said it must never be able to develop a nuclear weapon.
He also recognized the struggle of the Iranian people, and called on all parties to protect civilian lives as much as possible.
“Canada stands with Iranian people in their long and courageous struggle against this oppressive regime and we reaffirm Israel’s right to defend itself,” he said.
In a statement, Carney urged Canadians in Iran to shelter in place.
Also in Mumbai, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told reporters Canada’s ability to help those in Iran would be limited. “There is no Canadian embassy in Iran,” she said during a media availability. In a statement, Anand warned Canada’s “ability to provide consular services is extremely limited, especially during an active conflict.”
The statement also advised Canadians in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon to consider leaving “while commercial options remain available.”
Global Affairs
On its website, Global Affair Canada advised Canadians to avoid all travel to most destinations in the Middle East, while singling out Saudi Arabia, Oman and Jordan for “non-essential” travel, and Egypt for “high degree of caution.”
In Canada
Meanwhile, at home in Canada, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police is warning Canadians to be vigilant, but says there is no current intelligence warning of problems as the airstrikes in Iran enter a second day.
“Experience shows that periods of geopolitical tension can sometimes inspire extremist networks, hate-motivated individuals or proxy-related threat actors to exploit these situations to incite hate-fuelled violence,” the association says. “While there is no specific threat at this time, awareness and early reporting are essential components of prevention.”
How long?
U.S. President Donald Trump discussed a timeline for the fighting in Iran during a phone interview with a British newspaper.
“We figured it will be four weeks or so,” Trump told the Daily Mail. “It’s always been about a four-week process, so, as strong as it is – it’s a big country – it’ll take four weeks, or less.”
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