Give Mark Carney some credit for realpolitik, or at least reality-based policy. Despite unprecedented trade and ideological tensions with the US, Canada's prime minister has a better grasp on the true threats to peace and stability in the Middle East than some of his peers in Europe. And for that matter, as David will lay out next, better than his progressive camarades sur les barricades in the US.
Carney declared his support for the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran from Mumbai, where he had been leading a trade delegation, an ironic twist considering the tariff fights Carney has had with Donald Trump. Carney cited Iran's long support for terrorism and determination to develop nuclear weapons as good reasons for the military intervention:
“Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security,” he said.
He said Canada has consistently called on the Iranian regime to end its nuclear program — including at the G7 Summit Ottawa hosted last summer in Kananaskis, Alberta — and noted that Canada has listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group.
“Despite numerous diplomatic efforts, Iran has neither fully dismantled its nuclear program, halted all enrichment activities, nor ended its support for regional terrorist proxy groups,” Carney said.
The prime minister expressed Canada’s support for the Iranian people, and also backed Israel’s role in the strikes: “And we reaffirm Israel’s right to defend itself.”
That may create some headaches for Democrats here in the US. Carney and the Liberals are usually to the Left of American Democrats, and certainly have less allegiance to US foreign policy and military operations. Democrats today seem very confused about the nature of the regime in Iran, and even more confused about the nature of the governments in Jerusalem and Washington DC. Carney has plenty of reasons to resent Trump, fairly or not, but he's not as afflicted by Trump Derangement Syndrome as Democrats – and can therefore see reality.
The contrast between the two responses is about as stark as it gets. The American military operation gets more support from Canada's progressives than America's. Think about that for a long moment or two.
Ditto for Australia's Labor government. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued a strong endorsement of the military operation almost as soon as it launched:
With international partners, including the United States and the G7, we have called for the Iranian regime to uphold the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Iran’s citizens.
These calls have gone unheeded. Instead, the regime has instigated a brutal crackdown on its own people leaving thousands of Iranian civilians dead. A regime that relies on the repression and murder of its own people to retain power is without legitimacy.
It has long been recognised that Iran’s nuclear program is a threat to global peace and security. The international community has been clear that the Iranian regime can never beallowed to develop a nuclear weapon. The United Nations Security Council has reimposed sanctions on Iran for failing to comply with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and the International Atomic Energy Agency Board has formally declared Iran in non-compliance with its non-proliferation safeguards obligations.
We support the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran continuing to threaten international peace and security.
Over in Europe, the messages are somewhat ... mixed. Labour PM Keir Starmer declared that Iran "must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon," and he ordered British air assets to assist in defensive operations against Iranian missile attacks. However, the UK joined France and Germany in a joint statement that sounded significantly weaker than the endorsements from Carney and Albanese:
French President Emmanuel Macron warned, "The outbreak of war between the United States, Israel and Iran carries grave consequences for international peace and security." He added, "The ongoing escalation is dangerous for all. It must stop," and called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
In a joint statement, the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom also said they had "consistently urged the Iranian regime to end Iran’s nuclear program, curb its ballistic missile program, refrain from its destabilizing activity in the region and our homelands, and to cease the appalling violence and repression against its own people."
The three governments said they "did not participate in these strikes," but remain "in close contact with our international partners, including the United States, Israel, and partners in the region."
They reiterated their "commitment to regional stability and to the protection of civilian life," condemned "Iranian attacks on countries in the region in the strongest terms," and called for a "resumption of negotiations," urging Iran’s leadership to seek a negotiated solution. "Ultimately, the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future," the statement said.
These statements are weaker than those from Canada and Australia, but practically muscular compared to the reactions from American Democrats.
In any event, Trump likely isn't too concerned about reactions from Western European leadership. Their support has become less reliable since absorbing large numbers of refugees from collapsed Islamic states over the last 15 years. In some ways, these statements may be as good as we'll get from these countries in the current context of demographics.
And that may be driving some of the reaction by American Democrats, too. Meanwhile, at least one Democrat hasn't lost his mind to TDS. You can easily guess who that is, but just in case, we'll tease David's upcoming post with this:
Committed Democrat here.
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) February 28, 2026
I’m a hard no.
My vote is Operation Epic Fury. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/VTiFcWbzqG
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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