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 he 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 early Sunday morning, further escalating the crisis in the Middle East.

Carney was briefed on the situation in Iran on the plane to Brussels for the Canada-EU Summit, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed to CBC News.

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

Carney echoed calls from the recent 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 in Alberta on Monday, a day 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 on CBC's Power & Politics on Thursday, Anand said Canadians fleeing Israel and Iran should head to Jordan, Turkey or Armenia, where Canada is boosting its consular services.

Both Carney and Anand released statements prior to departing for Europe for back-to-back summits with the European Union and NATO.

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre said allowing Iran to get a nuclear weapon would have been "reckless" and that actions by the U.S. and Israel 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 on Sunday.

Hours after the strikes, Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of crossing a "very big red line," adding that he was headed to Moscow for urgent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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

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