G7 foreign ministers meet in Italy amid calls for sanctions on Iran

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Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies gathered on the Italian island of Capri today for three days of talks overshadowed by expectations of an Israeli response to Iran’s missile and drone attacks, Reuters reports.

Italy, which holds the G7’s rotating presidency, is pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza and a de-escalation of Middle East tensions, but Israel looks very likely to retaliate against Iran’s weekend attacks despite Western calls for restraint.

“Against a background of strong international tensions, the Italian-led G7 is tasked with working for peace,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a statement.

The G7 nations pledged support for Israel after the attack, which came in response to an Israeli airstrike on Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus on April 1 which killed two generals and several other Iranian officers.

 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his wife Evan M. Ryan arrive at the US Naval Support Activity base, ahead of the G7 foreign ministers summit on Capri island, in Naples, on April 17. — AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his wife Evan M. Ryan arrive at the US Naval Support Activity base, ahead of the G7 foreign ministers summit on Capri island, in Naples, on April 17. — AFP

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