• Tel Aviv ‘doing dirty work for all of us’, says Merz
• Tehran accuses the group of backing Israel with de-escalation call

WASHINGTON/KANANASKIS­/TEHRAN: The Group of Seven nations expressed support for Israel in a statement issued late on Monday and labeled its rival Iran as a source of instability in the Middle East, with the G7 leaders urging broader de-escalation of hostilities in the region.

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.

“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.”

President Donald Trump plann­ed to leave the G7 summit in Canada early to return to Washington due to the Middle East situation.

The United States has so far maintained that it is not involved in the Israeli attacks on Iran although Trump said on Friday the US 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.

“We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza,” the G7 statement said, adding the nations were also ready to coordinate on safeguarding stability in energy markets.

Israel ‘doing dirty work’

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday expressed strong support for Israel in its military campaign against Iran as he spoke with German media on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada.

“This is the dirty work Israel is doing for all of us,” Merz said in an interview with the ZDF broadcaster. “We are also victims of this regime. This mullah regime has brought death and destruction to the world,” he said. In a separate interview with Welt TV, Merz also suggested Israel’s attacks on Iran could lead to the demise of the Islamic republic’s leadership.

“I assume that the attacks of the last few days have already weakened the mullah regime considerably and that it is unlikely to return to its former strength, making the future of the country uncertain,” Merz said.

“To be honest, I can hardly imagine the mullah regime returning to its old functions,” he added. “Large parts of the military leadership and the so-called Revolutionary Guards are no longer alive, so things will not be the same as they were.” Asked whether he thought the United States might get involved in the military campaign against Iran, Merz said he believed there was “no decision yet from the American government”.

“It now depends very much on how far the mullah regime is prepared to return to the negotiating table,” he said. “If not, there could be further developments of this kind.” Israel on Friday launched a surprise aerial campaign targeting sites across Iran, saying the attacks aimed to prevent its enemy from acquiring atomic weapons.

Iran accuses G7 of siding with Israel

Iran accused the Group of Seven nations on Tuesday of siding with Israel in its call for “de-escalation” in their intensifying conflict, now in its fifth day. “The G7 must give up its one-sided rhetoric and tackle the real source of the escalation — Israel’s aggression,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said. “Israel has launched an unprovoked war of aggression against Iran... in violation of... the UN Charter,” the spokesman said.

“Hundreds of innocent people have been killed, our public and state facilities and people’s homes are brutally demolished. “Iran is defending itself against a cruel aggression. Does Iran really have any other choice?” he asked.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2025