Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin meet in Ottawa on April 1, 2019. Photo: Mark Neiman / GPO.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa on Monday, and urged international solidarity against Iran.

“Iran is leading the establishment of a Shi’ite axis in Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen, and its actions are exacerbating Sunni-Shi’ite tensions,” Rivlin said. “This could lead to regional escalation and threaten the whole world.”

“The world cannot allow Iran to do this,” Rivlin added. “The only way to halt Iran’s plans is by concerted international pressure and targeted military action whenever needed.”

Trudeau and Rivlin discussed the Iran issue at their meeting, and Rivlin praised Canada’s decision to freeze relations with the Islamic Republic and declare its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization.

Rivlin also praised Trudeau for standing up to antisemitism in all its forms, and for the close relations between Israel and Canada, which he said were based on shared values and concerns.

Furthermore, he hailed the renewal of Canada and Israel’s free trade agreement, and said, “We must continue to deepen our cooperation in the fields of culture, science, innovation, and cyber.”