G7 warns Iran against escalation as UN sanctions loom
The G7 Non-Proliferation Directors Group on Wednesday called on Iran to avoid escalatory action and to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog.
The G7 Non-Proliferation Directors Group on Wednesday called on Iran to avoid escalatory action and to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog.
“We urge Iran to refrain from any escalatory action and to urgently resume full cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), including by providing verifiable information about all nuclear material in Iran,” the group said in a statement.
The forum, which brings together senior officials from the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, stressed that Tehran must never obtain a nuclear weapon.
The G7 statement comes as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said earlier in the day that Tehran is negotiating with the IAEA to establish a new framework for cooperation. He added that unless Iran withdraws from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), cooperation with the agency will continue.
“This new cooperation with the Agency will definitely not be like before, especially since, according to parliament’s law, all matters must go through the Supreme National Security Council, which decides where and how inspections will take place, or whether they will happen at all,” Araghchi said.
The G7 said that it is essential for Iran “to remain a party to the NPT” and fully implement its obligations under the treaty, including its “Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement as a non-nuclear weapon state.”
“We call for the resumption of negotiations aimed at achieving a comprehensive, verifiable, and durable agreement that addresses Iran’s nuclear program,” the statement added.
France, the United Kingdom and Germany told Iran they would restore UN sanctions unless it reopened talks on its nuclear program immediately and produced concrete results by the end of August.
Iranian diplomats last met representatives of the three countries in Istanbul on July 25.
The G7 also voiced concern over Iran’s missile activities and regional role. “We continue to express our serious concerns about Iran’s proliferation of ballistic missiles, and its support for its proxies and partners such as Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran-aligned militias in Iraq,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s defense minister announced on Wednesday that the country has developed a new generation of missiles with greater capabilities than those used in its recent 12-day conflict with Israel, and said they would be deployed in the event of further hostilities.
