Canada in push for joint G7 and Middle East effort to de-escalate Iran war

"It's a document I am working with a number of countries on. I am speaking with every G7 country and every partner impacted by the war in the Middle East to stress the principle of de-escalation. It's important for us to have a conversation about the off ramps. I want to engage with the countries being directly impacted by the retaliatory strikes in particular, so this is a collective and coordinated discussion about off ramps."

"Anand told the Guardian she hoped a G7 meeting chaired by France, this year's president of the group, might start to build a broader collective approach to the crisis. Europe and Canada have been largely left as bystanders in the US-Israeli bombing campaign, which Iran has retaliated against with missile and drone strikes on its Gulf neighbours and threats to shipping in the strait of Hormuz."

"Diplomats recognise the extreme difficulty of ending the war because Iran is seeking some kind of guarantee that it will not be attacked again, but that is not likely to be forthcoming in a format Tehran would accept. Levels of trust between the US and Iran are at an all-time low and Donald Trump may now have set the reopening of the strait of Hormuz as one of his war objectives."

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand is leading efforts to build a collective G7 and Middle East approach to de-escalating tensions involving Iran. She has drafted principles-based documents focused on reducing regional spillover, minimizing collateral impacts on civilians and non-combatant nations, and mitigating economic shocks. Anand is engaging with all G7 countries and affected Middle East partners to discuss potential off-ramps from the conflict. Europe and Canada have largely remained sidelined during US-Israeli military operations and subsequent Iranian retaliatory strikes. Significant obstacles exist, including Iran's demand for guarantees against future attacks and historically low US-Iran trust levels, complicating diplomatic resolution efforts.

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