The air war between Iran and Israel - which began on Friday
when Israel attacked Iran with air strikes - has raised alarms in a region that
had already been on edge since the start of Israel's military assault on Gaza in
October 2023.
"We
affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for
the security of Israel," G7 leaders said in the statement.
"Iran
is the principal source of regional instability and terror," the statement
added and said the G7 was "clear that Iran can never have a nuclear
weapon."
Israel attacked Iran on Friday in what it called a preemptive strike
to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Since then the two Middle
Eastern rivals have exchanged blows, with Iranian officials reporting over 220
deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians were killed.
It is on record that Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons and
has said it has the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes,
including enrichment, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Israel,
which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East widely
believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that.
Although the US has been saying it is not involved in the
Israeli attacks, Trump has admitted he was aware of Israel's strikes in advance
and called them "excellent." Washington has warned Tehran not to
attack US interests or personnel in the region.
An
Israeli strike hit Iran's state broadcaster on Monday while Trump said in a
social media post that "everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran."
Separately, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also discussed
the Israel-Iran war in phone calls with his British, French and European Union
counterparts on Monday.
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