Carney says his stance on Iran war shifted as Trump’s goals ‘evolved’

“Our first comment was within hours of it beginning,” Carney said in his West Block office Friday.

Ottawa has long held the view that Iran is “the largest exporter of terror, state-sponsored terror, in the world. It’s murdered hundreds of Canadians,” Carney said. He added the Iranian regime is already causing suffering around the world and must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.

“From the perspective of an action, that we’re going to reduce that, we’re supportive of those objectives,” Carney said.

“Now, there’s objectives and there’s how you pursue those objectives, and the clarity was around how they were being pursued and the extent to which they were consistent with international law.”

While Canada has stayed out of the conflict so far, the prime minister has said Ottawa might send support to restore shipping access in the Strait of Hormuz if there is a functional ceasefire. Carney’s government is seeking investment from Gulf countries.

Carney is set to be in Armenia this weekend for the European Political Community summit, which primarily focuses on how countries from Iceland to Azerbaijan co-ordinate on politics, security and infrastructure in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Carney said “one of the reasons” he is going to the summit as the only non-European leader is that he will join colleagues who “have banded together to provide assistance once a durable ceasefire is established.”

Carney said that, despite Washington’s claims that it has paused the conflict, there is not a “durable” ceasefire.

“We’re not in that position now, to be absolutely clear,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2026.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Carney says his stance on Iran war shifted as Trump’s goals ‘evolved’

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