Iran accuses G-7 of siding with Israel with de-escalation call
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
After Israel sparked off a conflict by bombing Iran, G-7 leaders called Iran the “principal source of regional instability”.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
TEHRAN - Iran accused the Group of Seven (G-7) nations on June 17 of siding with Israel in its call for “de-escalation” in their intensifying conflict
“The G-7 must give up its one-sided rhetoric and tackle the real source of the escalation – Israel’s aggression,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.
“Israel has launched an unprovoked war of aggression against Iran... in violation of... the UN Charter,” the spokesman added.
“Hundreds of innocent people have been killed, our public and state facilities and people’s homes are brutally demolished.
“Iran is defending itself against a cruel aggression. Does Iran really have any other choice?” he asked.
At a G-7 summit in Canada on June 16, leaders including US President Donald Trump had called for “de-escalation” of the conflict, while stressing Israel had the right to defend itself.
In a concluding statement, the G-7 leaders said they were committed to “peace and stability” in the Middle East.
“We affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel,” said the statement.
“Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror,” it said.
“We have been consistently clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.
“We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East,” the G-7 statement added. AFP
