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In a whirlwind of diplomatic shifts, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s stance on the U.S. actions against Iran has evolved rapidly this week. Initially, he backed the U.S. efforts, but he later highlighted concerns that the U.S. and Israel proceeded without involving the United Nations or consulting allies, including Canada. By Wednesday, Carney was not dismissing the possibility of Canadian military involvement in the conflict.
Nader Hashemi, a Canadian-born Middle East politics associate professor at Georgetown University, commented to Fox News Digital on the situation, stating, “He’s been all over the place. It doesn’t look very good for him or for the government of Canada.”
Hashemi suggested that Carney’s shifting position might be influenced by public sentiment and a careful consideration of Canada’s national interests, particularly the relationship with the United States. “His initial statement was supportive of the American-Israeli actions, but he retracted it after facing criticism for not emphasizing Canada’s commitment to international law, a rules-based order, and the United Nations,” Hashemi explained.
Smoke billows over Tehran, Iran, on March 2, 2026, following explosions reported in the city amid the joint U.S.-Israel operation against Iran. (Contributor/Getty Images)
During a visit to Australia on Wednesday, Carney was questioned about the possibility of Canadian military involvement against Iran. He responded by saying that while one can never completely rule out participation, Canada would support its allies when it is deemed sensible.
However, former NATO commander and retired Canadian major-general David Fraser told CTV News Channel that it’s “unlikely” that Canada would be drawn into the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran unless a member state, such as Turkey, called for assistance under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
Carney’s latest comments signal the Canadian prime minister’s desire to ensure that “it doesn’t create a deeper rupture with the United States than already exists,” said Hashemi.
Melissa Lantsman, deputy leader of the Canadian Conservative Party, summarized the prime minister’s changing position on the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran with a post on X: “We support it, we’re upset about it, we think it’s bad, but also, we might join in.”
Her colleague, Michael Chong, the Conservative shadow minister for foreign affairs, told Canadian broadcaster CTV that “supporting the airstrikes and at the same time calling for a secession of those strikes” is “an inherent contradiction.”
US President Donald Trump meets with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 6, 2025. (Jim Watson / AFP)
Carney has also had pushback from the political left.
After the airstrikes against Iran began, Alexandre Boulerice, foreign affairs critic for the New Democratic Party of Canada, said in a statement that his party “strongly condemns the American and Israeli bombings of Iran” and “deplores the Carney government’s decision to blindly support this dangerous venture by Israel and Donald Trump’s administration. We want Canada to be a voice for diplomacy, peace and international law.”
During his Australian tour this week, the prime minister said that “hegemons are increasingly acting without constraint or respect for international norms or laws while others bear the consequences.”
U.S. Central Command released a video on Thursday, March 5, 2026, showing American aircraft taking off during Operation Epic Fury against Iran. (CENTCOM)
He also said Canada supports “efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security,” but noted that Canada “take[s] this position with regret because the current conflict is another example of the failure of the international order.”
Carney said that “Canada calls for a rapid de-escalation of hostilities and is prepared to assist in achieving this goal.”
At a security and defense conference in Ottawa, also this week, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said that Canada calls “on all sides to respect the rules of international engagement” and that “international law binds all parties” in the Middle East conflict.
The results of an Angus Reid Institute poll, involving 1,619 respondents and released on Tuesday, showed that 49% of Canadians opposed the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes against Iran, while 34% were supportive.
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