Carney says he saw US-Iran deal to end war, calls it ‘game changer’ in CNN interview
Listen to this article
Average 4 minutes
The audio version of this article was created by AI-based technology. It can be mispronounced. We are working with our partners to continuously review and improve the results.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says he has seen a copy of the first agreement between the US and Iran to end hostilities in the Middle East and calls it a “game changer.”
“I have to say, it exceeded my expectations. We are very happy with the agreement,” said the prime minister in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France.
The exact terms of the deal have not been made public, and Carney did not specifically say how he obtained the copy he reviewed other than “sources.” He also did not address criticisms of the deal, namely that the talks do not include Israel or Hezbollah.
US President Donald Trump is also at the G7 summit this week, and Carney said Iran is very important to him and other world leaders.
Officials have sometimes given conflicting explanations of its contents. Another part of the publicly reported deal is that negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program will need to take place within 60 days of the deal being signed.
The US says it has reached an agreement to end the war with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz – but much remains unclear about how it will work. Andrew Chang breaks down the statements from both sides to explain what we know about the goals, and the factors that might prevent it from going smoothly. Photos provided by The Canadian Press, Reuters, Adobe Stock and Getty Images
Carney did not go into too many details of what is included in the agreement in a brief interview. But he told Collins that it “lays the groundwork to ensure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon.”
“The Rubicon, if I may use that metaphor, has been crossed,” the prime minister said of that part of the deal.
Other details, including the fate of its highly enriched uranium stockpile, will still need to be discussed during the 60-day talks.
One point in the agreement where officials have offered conflicting views is how it affects the Israeli military presence in Lebanon. Carney said the deal provides the basis for a “solution in Lebanon,” but gave no further details.
Speaking at the G7 summit in France, US President Donald Trump said details of the Iran peace deal would come in a few days. He also criticized Israel’s war tactics in Lebanon, saying that ‘too many people are being killed.’
Carney also said that the G7 and the wider international community should play a role in ensuring that the agreement remains intact.
The unpublished agreement provides for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the blockade, according to a senior US official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss the draft of the agreement on Monday.
The Strait is the world’s main oil supply route. It usually exceeds 20 million barrels of oil every day. But that supply was cut during the 100-day dispute, sending gas prices soaring.
The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused ‘the biggest threat to energy security in history,’ said Fatih Birol, director general of the International Energy Agency. Ryan Cummings of the Stanford Institute for Economy Policymaking says the shutdown so far is equivalent to a billion barrels of oil out of the economy.
In the past, Carney has suggested that Canada could help de-mine the problem, but told Collins that there are other ways the country can help once the deal is signed.
“One of the big lessons here is that you can’t get caught up in the global economy,” Carney said.
“In some of these cases, we can really help in that,” he said, mentioning especially oil, gas and precious minerals.
Part of the 60-day negotiations will deal with the removal of potential sanctions.
The prime minister told Collins that Canada could also help with the “financial” parts of the deal – meaning in particular the freeze on assets.
‘Constructive’ talks on Ukraine
Carney said that after seeing the agreement, the G7 talks turned to Ukraine.
Earlier on Tuesday, Carney announced new sanctions on Russia in a package that will target 162 people, organizations and ships – all assets of the Russian war machine.
The prime minister told Collins that the G7 leaders’ talks were “constructive” when it came to Ukraine.
In the interview, Carney reiterated his comments he made earlier in the day, insisting that Russia is on the losing side of the conflict.
“The situation has changed in this war. It is a matter of time, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is going to lose this war and from now until he realizes that or accepts that, it is absolutely senseless killing,” he said.
