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Pro-government demonstrators chant slogans as they hold Iranian flags and a poster of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in a gathering after announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, Square, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
By The Canadian Press

Carney, European leaders welcome reported Iran-U.S. ceasefire in joint statement

Apr 8, 2026 | 8:32 AM

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney called a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran a “positive development” on Wednesday, and indicated Canada is still willing to help support the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to restore stability to global oil markets.

But both developments were threatened later in the day when the U.S. and Iran disagreed over whether a ceasefire in Lebanon was part of their deal, and Iran closed the waterway again following further Israeli attacks on Hezbollah targets near Beirut.

One fifth of the world’s oil supply transits through the strait, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. The almost total closure of the strait since the war began more than a month ago has sent oil prices soaring across the globe.

The ceasefire deal was announced Tuesday evening after President Donald Trump threatened in a social media post earlier that day that “a whole civilization” would “die” if a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was not reached.

Pakistan — which helped to broker the 14-day ceasefire deal with the United States — and Iran both insisted Wednesday the pact included an end to strikes on Lebanon, but neither Israel nor Trump agreed with that. There was also disagreement over whether Iran had agreed to reopen the strait without new tolls.

Carney and eight European allies signed a joint statement praising the ceasefire deal and saying it must extend to Lebanon — a fact Carney reiterated when speaking to reporters outside his office in Ottawa Wednesday morning.

“When we say peace, we mean peace in the region,” Carney said, after saying in French a ceasefire deal must include Lebanon.

Iran closed the strait again following a new round of airstrikes on Lebanon, with Israel hitting more than 100 targets. Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes killed 182 people on Wednesday, the highest single-day death toll in the Israel-Hezbollah war.

Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all issued warnings about incoming missiles from Iran after the ceasefire was announced. Those strikes stopped for a time before hostilities appeared to restart.

An oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island came under attack, according to Iranian state television. The island is home to one of the terminals that Iran uses to export oil and gas.

A short time later, the United Arab Emirates’ air defences fired at an incoming Iranian missile barrage. Kuwait said three power and water desalination plants were badly damaged after 28 Iranian drones were launched at the country. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted nine drones.

The statement issued by Carney and the European leaders encouraged “quick progress towards a substantive negotiated settlement.”

“This will be crucial to protect the civilian population of Iran and ensure security in the region. It can avert a severe global energy crisis,” the statement said.

“We support these diplomatic efforts. To this end, we are in close contact with the United States and other partners.”

Carney said reopening the strait “is important for re-establishing stability, lowering prices in commodities, prices at the pump even here in Canada, price of fertilizer for farmers, price of aluminum for manufacturers and others.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand joined talks with several dozen countries last week to formulate a plan to reopen the strait once hostilities end, though no plan was announced. Canada has said it would help to secure the strait but has not said what that would entail.

Anand did not touch directly on the war during a noon hour speech to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce Wednesday.

In a Q-and-A session with the chamber president, Anand was asked about Canada playing a role in bringing an end to the conflict, Instead of answering she pointed to Prime Minister Carney’s Davos speech about like-minded middle powers working together.

The terms of the ceasefire deal were murky across the board.

Trump initially said Iran proposed a “workable” 10-point plan that could help end the war the U.S. and Israel launched on Feb. 28. But when a version in Farsi emerged that indicated Iran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium — a key step toward building a nuclear weapon — Trump called it fraudulent without elaborating.

U.S. Vice-President JD Vance later said the deal was being misrepresented within Iran, though he did not offer details.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran’s original, 10-point plan was “fundamentally unserious, unacceptable and completely discarded.” But a new, 15-point plan Iran presented Tuesday could now “align with our own” proposal for peace, she said.

The White House also said Vance would lead the American negotiating team in talks in Pakistan aimed at finding a permanent end to the war. Pakistan said the talks could begin in Islamabad as soon as Friday.

Iran’s demands for ending the war include a withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the region, the lifting of sanctions and the release of its frozen assets.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s personal envoy arrived in Iran for talks on “the way forward.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2026.

— With files from David Baxter and Nick Murray in Ottawa, Bill Graveland in Calgary and The Associated Press

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press