Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said on Saturday that Canada wants a change of government in Iran but declined to say whether Ottawa would support a possible US military strike.
“We will not open diplomatic relationships with Iran unless there is a regime change. Period," Anand told The Globe and Mail newspaper in an interview conducted in Germany, where she is attending the Munich Security Conference.
Canada cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012. On Saturday, Anand also announced additional Canadian sanctions against seven individuals connected to the Iranian government and said Canada’s regional focus is on the repression of human rights.
Anand’s comments come a day after US President Donald Trump voiced openness to potential government change in Iran.
Speaking to reporters upon returning from Fort Bragg, Trump was asked what the people of Iran could do to avoid a US attack and replied, “They give us the deal that they should have given us the first time. If they give us the right deal, we won't do that. But, you know, historically, they haven't done that. I will say they want to talk, but so far they do a lot of talking and no action."
A reporter then asked the President if he would like to see a regime change in Iran and he responded, “Well, it seems like that would be the best thing that could happen. For 47 years, they've been talking and talking and talking. In the meantime, we've lost a lot of lives while they talk, legs blown off, arms blown off, faces blown off…tt's been going on for a long time, so let's see what happens. In the meantime, tremendous power has arrived, and additional power, as you know, and other carriers going out shortly. If we could get it settled for once and for all, that would be good."
Earlier in the day, Trump was asked by reporters about his decision to deploy the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier to the Middle East, in addition to the USS Abraham Lincoln which is already in the region.
The aircraft carrier was sent “in case we don't make a deal, we'll need it. If we don't have a deal, we'll need it. We have one out there that just arrived. If we need it, we have it ready. A big, a very big force," said Trump.
Asked how confident he is that the negotiations with Iran will be successful, the President replied, “I think they'll be successful, and if they're not, it's going to be a bad day for Iran, very bad."