International Canada’s Mark Carney, Australian leader call for Iran war de-escalation by Ryan Mancini - 03/05/26 11:01 AM ET by Ryan Mancini - 03/05/26 11:01 AM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email NOW PLAYING Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday called for the U.S.-Israeli military operations in Iran to de-escalate while agreeing that Iran must not acquire a nuclear weapon. The two leaders met in the Australian capital Canberra during what was Carney’s first visit to the island nation, his office said in a statement . The visit was largely focused on trade, part of a three-nation trip that sent Carney to India last week and to Australia and Japan on Friday. “We want to see a broader de-escalation of these hostilities with a broader group of countries than just the direct belligerents involved,” Carney said at a press conference. “We stress that that cannot be achieved unless we’re in a position that Iran’s ability to acquire a nuclear weapon, develop a nuclear weapon, and to export terrorism, is ended. So that process must lead to those outcomes.” Albanese reiterated the point of de-escalation and added that he and his Canadian counterpart want “to see Iran cease to spread the destinations of its attacks.” “We’re seeing Gulf states that have not been involved attacked across the board, including the attacks on civilian and tourist areas as well,” he said. “We also want to see the objectives achieved. I want to see the possibility of Iran getting a nuclear weapon removed once and for all.” He added that he wants to see the removal of the Iranian regime’s “ongoing threat that has been there for such a long period of time … not just in its own region, but here in Australia.” U.S. and Iranian diplomats negotiated in the weeks before the strikes over Iran’s nuclear program. President Trump pulled the U.S. out of a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program in 2018 that was agreed to by former President Obama. Iran signed on to the deal in exchange for sanctions relief. Carney, when asked by a reporter about Canadian military intervention, said “one can never categorically rule out participation.” “We will stand by our allies when it makes sense,” he answered, adding that “we will always defend Canadians.” Carney said he supported the strikes “with some regret,” noting that the U.S. did not inform him in advance of the strikes last Saturday. Regarding the strikes, he told reporters while flying to Australia on Wednesday that “Prima facie, it appears that these actions are inconsistent with international law,” Al Jazeera reported . Once he reached Sydney, Carney in a speech criticized the “ failure of the international order ” in explaining why the U.S.-Israeli strikes happened. He noted that the U.S. and Israel “have acted without engaging the United Nations or consulting allies, including Canada.” “Diplomatic engagement is essential to avoid a wider and deeper conflict,” he continued. “Innocent civilians must be protected, and all parties must commit to finding enduring agreements to end both nuclear proliferation and terrorist extremism.” The Associated Press contributed. Add as preferred source on Google Tags Anthony Albanese Barack Obama Donald Trump Mark Carney Obama Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email More International News See All International Azerbaijan vows retaliation after alleged Iran drone attack by Ashleigh Fields 8 minutes ago International  /  8 minutes ago