The G7 foreign ministers (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) and EU High Representative Kaja Kallas called for the resumption of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue in a statement published on 1 July, following their meeting in The Hague on 25 June.
Reaffirming that Iran can never possess nuclear weapons, the ministers and the High Representative urged the country to refrain from resuming its “unjustified” enrichment activities.
“We call for the resumption of negotiations, resulting in a comprehensive, verifiable and durable agreement that addresses Iran’s nuclear program”, they wrote. According to the G7, in order to achieve a “sustainable and credible” resolution, Iran must urgently resume full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in accordance with its safeguards obligations, and provide the IAEA with verifiable information on all nuclear material in the country, including by granting access to its inspectors. The ministers and the High Representative also condemned the calls for the arrest and execution of the Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi.
In addition, it is essential that Iran remains a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), “the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime”, and complies fully with its obligations.
The ministers also reiterated their support for the ceasefire between Israel and Iran announced by the United States, and urged all parties to avoid any action that could further destabilise the region. They underlined Qatar’s “important” role in facilitating the ceasefire and expressed their full solidarity with Qatar and Iraq following the recent strikes against their territory by Iran, its proxies and partners.
Finally, the G7 welcomed all the efforts being made in the region to stabilise and de-escalate the situation. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)