Trudeau says ‘everything’ must be done to prevent escalation after explosions reported in Iran
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling for de–escalation in the Middle East after explosions were reported in an Iranian city overnight.
“Everything needs to be done to prevent further escalation in the region,” he said during a press conference in Victoria on Friday.
Explosions rocked the Iranian city of Isfahan following what sources described as an Israeli attack. Tehran played down the incident, which closed airspace for a time on Friday.
Iranian media and officials described a small number of explosions, which they said were caused by Iran’s air defences hitting three drones over the city. Notably, they referred to the incident as an attack by “infiltrators,” rather than by Israel.
Israel has said nothing about the incident. It had said for days it was planning to retaliate against Iran for strikes on April 13 — the first ever direct attack on Israel by Iran in decades of a shadow war waged by proxies, which has escalated throughout the Middle East following six months of conflict in Gaza.
Iran and Israel have been heading toward direct confrontation since a presumed Israeli airstrike on April 1 destroyed a building in Iran’s embassy compound in Syria and killed several Iranian officers, including a top general.
Allies, including the United States, have been pressing hard to ensure any retaliation would be calibrated to avoid provoking further hostilities. Western countries tightened sanctions on Iran to mollify Israel.
CBC’s Chris Brown explains what’s known — and what’s not known — after U.S. officials told American media outlets that an Israeli missile hit Iran.
Trudeau was asked Friday if he has been speaking with the Israeli government to urge de-escalation in the Middle East. The prime minister put the blame squarely on Iran.
“We strongly condemn the absolutely irresponsible attack by Iran directly on Israel,” he said.
“That is absolutely the wrong thing to see in the region. We need to move toward peace and stability.”
The prime minister did say that a two-state solution is the “only long-term” way to secure peace in the Middle East.
“A peaceful, secure, democratic Israel alongside a peaceful, secure, democratic Palestinian state — that is what Canada has always fought for,” he said.
Israel’s assault on Gaza began after Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a cross-border attack on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people in Israel, according to Israeli accounts. Gaza’s health department says more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in retaliatory attacks by Israel, and roughly 80 per cent of Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced by the conflict.
Iran-backed groups have declared support for Palestinians and have carried out attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq, raising fears that the Gaza conflict could grow into a wider regional war.
Trudeau’s comments come as Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is in Italy for a meeting with other G7 foreign ministers.
Joly and her counterparts issued a joint statement on Friday condemning Iran for attacking Israel and noting the reports that Israel was behind the drone attack in Isfahan.
“In light of the strikes reported in Iran and following our meeting this morning, I join my G7 colleagues in urging all parties to work to prevent further escalation,” Joly said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
