G7 leaders express support for Israel's right to defend itself, condemning Iran for 'regional instability and terror'

Sky News AU

6 hours ago

World leaders from the G7 have expressed support for Israel and warned Iran must never obtain nuclear weapons.
G7 countries—which include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and US—issued a statement in response to the conflict on Tuesday.
The world leaders reaffirmed the Jewish state's right to self-defence and warned Iran should never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
'We, the leaders of the G7, reiterate our commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East,' the joint statement said.
'In this context, we affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel.
'Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror. We have been consistently clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.'
The leaders also called for the 'de-escalation of hostilities' in the Middle East and the 'protection of civilians'. — G7 (@G7) June 17, 2025
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who attended the summit, struck a notably softer tone than the joint G7 statement on Tuesday.
Mr Albanese was attending the G7 Summit as an outreach partner—but Australia is not a G7 country.
'We are deeply concerned and we have urged all parties to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy,' Mr Albanese said on Tuesday.
'The safety of Australians is, of course, our priority at the moment and I reiterate that our advice is do not travel to Israel and Iran.
'We want to see peace and security in the region and we want to see a de-escalation.'
At a press conference on Monday, Mr Albanese was asked what his attitude would be if there was a move for a joint statement in support of Israel.
"Well, we're not members of the G7, so we won't... That will be something that is up to G7 countries to discuss," he said.
The G7 statement comes as Israel and Iran entered a fifth day of conflict, following the Israeli campaign that began with the targeting of Iran's nuclear program.
Iranian officials have reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, in five days, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed.
US President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday (Australian time) that 'everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran'.
He also said Iran had rejected a US-brokered nuclear deal and blamed Tehran for prolonging the war.
Meanwhile, the Albanese government's emphasis on Middle East diplomacy has drawn criticism from the federal opposition in Canberra.
Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes called the government's stance 'absolutely ridiculous' pointing out that Iran and Israel have had no diplomatic relations since 1979.
'It's absolutely ridiculous… for Australia's foreign minister to call for some sort of talk fest,' Senator Hughes said.
'We know that Iran has employed many, many proxies and has called for the annihilation of Israel.'
Senator Dave Sharma, chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, said 'the war will continue' due to core national interests on both sides.
'Part of the reason for this war is the failure of dialogue,' Mr Sharma said in response to Ms Wong's calls for diplomacy.
'There have been multiple rounds of negotiations held with Iran… that war will continue whilst those national interests are being prosecuted or defended.'