G7 Leaders Pledge to Prevent Tehran from Developing Nuclear Weapon

The G7 pledged to working together, and with other international partners, to address the threat posed to international security by Iran’s nuclear escalation
The G7 pledged to working together, and with other international partners, to address the threat posed to international security by Iran’s nuclear escalation
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G7 Leaders Pledge to Prevent Tehran from Developing Nuclear Weapon

The G7 pledged to working together, and with other international partners, to address the threat posed to international security by Iran’s nuclear escalation
The G7 pledged to working together, and with other international partners, to address the threat posed to international security by Iran’s nuclear escalation

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) reiterated Tuesday their clear commitment that Iran must never develop a nuclear weapon.

They called on the Iranian government to benefit from the available diplomatic opportunity to return to the nuclear deal.

This comes as indirect takes between Washington and Tehran to revive the nuclear pact will resume soon through the European Union mediation.

In a final communique from Elmau, Germany, the G7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States) expressed regret that despite intense diplomatic efforts to restore full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), Iran has not yet seized the opportunity to conclude a deal.

It pledged to working together, and with other international partners, to address the threat posed to international security by Iran’s nuclear escalation, stressing that the diplomatic solution remains the best way to restrict Iran’s nuclear program and force it to fulfill its legal obligations with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The communique strongly condemned Tehran’s continued destabilizing activity in the Middle East region, calling upon Iran to stop all ballistic missile activities and proliferation that threaten maritime security in the Gulf.

The G7 leaders further welcomed regional initiatives to improve bilateral relations between partners in the region and called on Iran to contribute “actively and constructively to fostering regional peace and security in the Middle East.”

They also reiterated their shared profound concern over the continued human rights violations and abuses in Iran, including arbitrary arrest and detention, and condemn Iran’s increased use of capital punishment.

US President Joe Biden and French, British and German leaders held a meeting on the last day of the G7 summit, during which they discussed Iran’s nuclear file and the possibility of its return to the deal.

The EU is looking to diversify its energy sources to reduce demand and stabilize oil prices, which have risen significantly due to the war in Ukraine.

“There are resources elsewhere that need to be explored,” a French official said on the sidelines of a G7 summit in Germany, when asked about how to alleviate high oil prices.

The outstanding issue between Iran and the United States was no longer linked to the nuclear dossier but to US terrorism sanctions, he said.

“So there is a knot that needs to be untied if applicable... to get Iranian oil back on the market,” the official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We have Venezuelan oil that also needs to come back to the market.”



Blinken, in Brussels, Pledges to Shore up Ukraine Support Ahead of Trump Transition

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) shake hands at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 13 November 2024. (EPA)
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) shake hands at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 13 November 2024. (EPA)
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Blinken, in Brussels, Pledges to Shore up Ukraine Support Ahead of Trump Transition

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) shake hands at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 13 November 2024. (EPA)
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) shake hands at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 13 November 2024. (EPA)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured NATO on Wednesday that the Biden administration would bolster its support for Ukraine in the few months before Donald Trump's return as president and would try to strengthen the alliance in that time.

Meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels, Biden also said the deployment of North Korean troops to help Russia in the Ukraine war would get a "firm response".

President-elect Trump, who has questioned US military support for Ukraine, says he will quickly end Russia's war without saying how, raising concerns among U.S. allies he could try to force Kyiv to accept peace on Moscow's terms. Biden leaves office on Jan. 20.

Blinken said after meeting Rutte at the alliance’s headquarters they discussed ongoing support for Ukraine, where Russian forces have been making gains on the eastern front lines, and the work NATO must do strengthen its defense industrial base.

The outgoing US administration would "continue to shore up everything we're doing for Ukraine," he said.

"President Biden fully intends to drive through the tape and use every day to continue to do what we have done these last four years, which is strengthen this alliance," Blinken said.

The deployment of North Korean troops to support Russia in the conflict "demands and will get a firm response," he said.

Rutte said that "Russia has not won" in Ukraine, which it invaded in February 2022.

"Obviously we have to do more to make sure that Ukraine can stay in the fight and is able to roll back as much as possible the Russian onslaught and prevent (President Vladimir) Putin from being successful in Ukraine," he said.

Blinken is expected to meet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha later, according to a State Department schedule.

He will also meet NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Christopher Cavoli, top EU officials and British foreign secretary David Lammy in Brussels on Wednesday.