By — Rod McGuirk, Associated Press Rod McGuirk, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/leaders-of-canada-and-australia-urge-iran-war-de-escalation-affirm-iranians-cant-have-nuclear-weapons Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Leaders of Canada and Australia urge Iran war de-escalation, affirm Iranians can't have nuclear weapons World Mar 5, 2026 12:44 PM EST MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Canadian and Australian prime ministers on Thursday called for a de-escalation of the Iran war but added the Iranians must never gain a nuclear weapon. Canada's Mark Carney and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese discussed the war during their meeting in Australia's capital, Canberra. WATCH LIVE: House expected to vote on Iran war powers resolution The meeting came after news that a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean and Turkey said NATO defenses intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran before it entered Turkey's airspace. "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 with Albanese. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. "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," Carney added. READ MORE: Pummeled by airstrikes, Iran launches new wave of attacks against Israel and U.S. bases He said the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which were "showing tremendous restraint," should become involved in the de-escalation process. Albanese said: "The world wants to see a de-escalation and wants to see Iran cease to spread the destinations of its attacks." WATCH: U.S. says it will strike deeper into Iran, saying war has 'only just begun' "We're seeing Gulf states, that have not been involved, attacked across the board, including the attacks on civilian and tourist areas as well. But 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," Albanese said. Questioned by a reporter, Carney could not rule out the Canadian military ever becoming involved in the conflict. READ MORE: Iranian warship was sailing home from India exhibition when U.S. sank it "You've asked a fundamental hypothetical in a conflict that can spread very broadly," Carney said. "So one can never categorically rule out participation. We will stand by our allies when it makes sense," he added. Carney is in Australia on a trade-focused, three-nation visit that began in India last week. He addressed the Australian Parliament on Thursday and will fly to Japan on Friday. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Rod McGuirk, Associated Press Rod McGuirk, Associated Press
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Canadian and Australian prime ministers on Thursday called for a de-escalation of the Iran war but added the Iranians must never gain a nuclear weapon. Canada's Mark Carney and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese discussed the war during their meeting in Australia's capital, Canberra. WATCH LIVE: House expected to vote on Iran war powers resolution The meeting came after news that a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean and Turkey said NATO defenses intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran before it entered Turkey's airspace. "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 with Albanese. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. "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," Carney added. READ MORE: Pummeled by airstrikes, Iran launches new wave of attacks against Israel and U.S. bases He said the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which were "showing tremendous restraint," should become involved in the de-escalation process. Albanese said: "The world wants to see a de-escalation and wants to see Iran cease to spread the destinations of its attacks." WATCH: U.S. says it will strike deeper into Iran, saying war has 'only just begun' "We're seeing Gulf states, that have not been involved, attacked across the board, including the attacks on civilian and tourist areas as well. But 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," Albanese said. Questioned by a reporter, Carney could not rule out the Canadian military ever becoming involved in the conflict. READ MORE: Iranian warship was sailing home from India exhibition when U.S. sank it "You've asked a fundamental hypothetical in a conflict that can spread very broadly," Carney said. "So one can never categorically rule out participation. We will stand by our allies when it makes sense," he added. Carney is in Australia on a trade-focused, three-nation visit that began in India last week. He addressed the Australian Parliament on Thursday and will fly to Japan on Friday. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now