Carney calls for diplomatic resolution after U.S. airstrikes on Iran

Prime Minister Mark Carney says U.S. military attacks on Iranian nuclear sites were designed to alleviate the threat of the country's nuclear program, and reiterated that Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.

The prime minister's statement comes in response to U.S. strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran, further escalating the crisis in the Middle East.

In a statement posted to social media, the prime minister urged parties to immediately return to the negotiating table to reach a diplomatic resolution.

Iran’s nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security, and Canada has been consistently clear that Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. <br> <br>While U.S. military action taken last night was designed to alleviate that threat, the situation in the…
—@MarkJCarney

Carney echoed calls from last week's G7 leaders' joint statement, calling for "de-escalation" of hostilities in the Middle East and a ceasefire in Gaza.

U.S. President Donald Trump left the G7 summit early to address the Middle East crisis following Israel's latest attacks targeted at Iran's nuclear program.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand urged Canadians in the region to register with Global Affairs Canada for updates on available travel options.

In an interview with the CBC's Power & Politics on Thursday, Anand said Canadians fleeing Israel and Iran should head to Jordan, Turkey and Armenia, where Canada is boosting its consular services.

Both Carney and Anand released statements prior to departing for Europe for back-to-back EU and NATO summits.

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre says allowing Iran to get a nuclear weapon would have been "reckless," and that U.S. and Israeli actions to stop Iran's nuclear proliferation are justified.

Poilievre said the federal government must protect Canadians from spillover violence in Canada and take action to stop "intimidation and foreign interference by the Iranian regime targeting Canada's Jewish and Persian communities."

Calls for diplomacy

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council will convene an emergency meeting on the matter later today.

Hours after the strikes, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the U.S. of crossing a "very big red line," and said he was headed to Moscow for urgent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In an interview with Fox News Sunday morning, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. is not at war with Iran, and called for direct talks.

"We're prepared to talk to them tomorrow and start working on that," he said.