G7 foreign ministers have been meeting in Paris this week, from where Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been issuing Iran-related comments to the press.
The G7 issued a joint statement Wednesday upon the conclusion of two days of meetings. Ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, along with the EU’s High Representative, condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, and also strongly condemned Iranian attacks on international shipping and its Gulf neighbors.
“Absent a diplomatic solution, we committed to continuing our coordination to economically and politically constrain the Iranian regime’s ability to sow instability in the region and around the world,” the ministers said.
This seems to back Washington’s current playbook which has fallen into a ‘status quo’ (or defeat?) of tightening sanctions while seeking to decimate the Iranian economy, but importanly while holding off on a renewed bombing campaign.
Among the more interesting parts of the statement focused on alleged Iranian military support to the Houthis, who have been attacking Saudi territory on a near-daily basis with ballistic missiles and drones.
“The ministers urged Tehran to stop supporting nonstate armed groups across the Middle East, specifically calling for an end to Iranian weapons supplies and other assistance to Yemen’s Houthis,” one report says. According to a further summary:
- G7 statement: call on Iran to end its arming of and support for the Houthis in violation of united nations security council resolutions
- G7 statement: Iran’s actions risk undermining international trade, creating global economic instability
- G7 statement: condemn in the strongest terms unacceptable continued strikes carried out by the Houthis in Yemen and against Saudi ArabiaÂ
And there was mention on Iranian ‘plots’ abroad, but no specifics were given: “We also expressed grave concern over Iranian involvement in violent plots against many of our citizens and territories,” the statement added.
But this was clearly a reference to Britain’s allegation of Iranian involvement in a September 27 incident at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, which is known to host US bombers.
On getting greater allied support for the US Hormuz mission, there are still no takers…
The G7 also repeated the Trump line that Iran “must never be allowed to develop or acquire a nuclear weapon” while demanding Tehran’s full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. But Tehran has continued to reject that it will negotiate away its nuclear program, and that this is not up for discussion especially so long as the war persists.
