January 29, 2014 - 12:37 PM
OTTAWA - U.S. President Barack Obama's state of the union speech highlighted the sharp divide between Canada and the United States on a pressing international security issue: curbing Iran's nuclear program.
That significant foreign policy difference comes as the Harper government continues to press Obama to approve the Keystone XL pipeline.
Canada has firmly aligned itself with Israel in refusing to ease sanctions, while the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China have agreed to relax $7 billion worth of them for six months to help the negotiations.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird's office said Tuesday that Canada's sanctions would remain in full force.
Obama says he will veto any congressional plan to impose new sanctions on Iran while international negotiations are under way to curtail Tehran's nuclear program.
He says he would want to block any move that could derail the negotiations, so that diplomacy could be given the chance to work.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014