WANA (Nov 26) – The foreign ministers of the G7 countries (Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US) met in Fujii, Italy, where they issued accusations against Iran while expressing support for a potential ceasefire in Lebanon.

 

The meeting took place amid critical developments in the Ukraine war and the ongoing crises in the Middle East, with increasing diplomatic pressure to advance negotiations, particularly before the new US administration takes office in the post-Trump era.

 

In a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the meeting, the G7 foreign ministers specifically condemned Iran for “missile attacks on Israel” and its support for groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and militias in Syria and Iraq.

 

The group, without addressing Israel’s aggressive actions against Iran, including attacks on Iranian diplomatic facilities in Syria, labeled these retaliatory measures as a threat to regional stability and strongly condemned them.

 

The G7 continued by accusing Iran of sending weapons to Russia for use in the Ukraine war, demanding that Iran stop supporting Moscow in the conflict.

 

This comes despite Iran’s consistent position that diplomacy and dialogue are the best solutions for resolving conflicts and its support for ending the Ukraine war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has explicitly stated that Iran has not sent ballistic missiles to Russia, regarding Western claims as part of diplomatic efforts to pressure Iran.

 

In another part of the statement, the G7 expressed concern about the escalation of tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear program and its plans to develop non-military nuclear energy sectors.

 

They emphasized the need to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and urged Iran to cooperate more with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and limit its nuclear program.

 

Meanwhile, Iran has always maintained that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful, and the IAEA has confirmed that Iran continues to meet its obligations.

 

In the final part of the G7 statement, the countries expressed support for a ceasefire in Lebanon and emphasized the necessity of reaching a diplomatic agreement to end the crisis.

 

The G7 ministers also supported UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, responsible for humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees, and stressed the organization’s essential role in solving the humanitarian crisis in the region. They also called on Israel to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and expedite assistance to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.

 

At the meeting, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the host of the G7 summit, urged G7 members to adopt a unified stance on the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

 

The warrants were issued on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza conflict. The United States, a key G7 member, strongly criticized the ICC’s decision, with President Joe Biden calling the warrants “reprehensible.”

 

However, the final draft of the G7 statement did not mention the arrest warrants, indicating internal divisions within the Italian coalition government and among other G7 members regarding how to handle this issue.