Blinken: G7 is “committed to de-escalating”
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, addressed the press today at the conclusion of the G7 meeting of foreign ministers in Capri, Italy.
On behalf of the G7, he condemned Iran’s cruise missile and drone attack on Israel that prompted an airstrike today on Isfahan, that the US says it has confirmed was carried out by Israel. It hasn not yet been confirmed by Israel or Iran.
“We’re committed to Israel’s security,” Blinken said. “We’re also committed to de-escalating.”
He noted that despite the tensions with Israel and Iran, “we remain intensely focused on Gaza”.
Key events
Israeli ‘aggression’ on Iran is an escalation against the region, Hamas official says
Israel’s “aggression” on Iran is an escalation against the region, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Friday.
“We call for expanding the scale of the engagement against the [Israeli] occupation in response to the war of genocide in Gaza and the escalation in the region,” said Abu Zuhri.
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, declined to comment on whether the US had any warning of Israel’s plans to strike Iran this morning, but said: “The United States has not been involved in any offensive operations.”
Blinken restated the G7’s commitment to de-escalating tensions in the region.
“What the G7 is focused on, and it’s reflected in our statement and in our conversation, is our work to de-escalate tensions, to de-escalate from any potential conflict,” he said. “You saw Israel on the receiving end of an unprecedented attack, but our focus has been on, of course, making sure that Israel can effectively defend itself, but also de-escalating tensions and avoiding conflict. That remains our focus.”
Blinken: Hamas standing in the way of a Gaza ceasefire
The G7 meeting of foreign ministers had discussed the need for a ceasefire in Gaza, said Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, but Hamas “continues to move the goalposts”.
“The only thing standing between the Gazan people and a ceasefire is Hamas,” Blinken said. “It has rejected generous proposals from Israel. It seems more interested in a regional conflict than it is in a ceasefire that would immediately improve the lives of the Palestinian people. It continues to move the goalposts.”
The G7 also urges “the rapid implementation of Israel’s humanitarian assistance commitments” in Gaza, Blinken said.
“We have seen important steps over the last couple of weeks with more crossings opening, more aid getting in, more aid getting around,” Blinken said. “But we need to see sustained results and we need to see, in particular, distribution throughout Gaza.”
Blinken: G7 is “committed to de-escalating”
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, addressed the press today at the conclusion of the G7 meeting of foreign ministers in Capri, Italy.
On behalf of the G7, he condemned Iran’s cruise missile and drone attack on Israel that prompted an airstrike today on Isfahan, that the US says it has confirmed was carried out by Israel. It hasn not yet been confirmed by Israel or Iran.
“We’re committed to Israel’s security,” Blinken said. “We’re also committed to de-escalating.”
He noted that despite the tensions with Israel and Iran, “we remain intensely focused on Gaza”.
Below is some footage of the airstrikes in Iran’s Isfahan province. Although the US said on Friday that strikes were carried out by Israel, it has not yet been confirmed by Israel or Iran:
Here are a few images on the newswires from Italy where G7 foreign ministers met today:
Israel gave US last-minute warning about drone attack on Iran, Italian foreign minister says
The US told the G7 foreign ministers on Friday that it received “last minute” information from Israel about a drone action in Iran, Italy’s foreign minister said, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Foreign minister Antonio Tajani said the US provided the information at a Friday morning session that was changed at the last minute to address the suspected attack.
Tajani said the US informed the G7 ministers that it had been “informed at the last minute” by Israel about the drones. “But there was no sharing of the attack by the US. It was a mere information.”
He said Italians living in Iran were all accounted for and “without problems.”
Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi said on Friday that Israeli–Iranian retaliations must end, warning against the danger of regional escalation.
According to Reuters, the United Arab Emirates’ foreign ministry on Friday also expressed concern about regional tensions. In a statement, the ministry called for “utmost restraint” to avoid serious repercussions.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz called for de-escalation after a strike on the Iranian city of Isfahan and said Berlin would work with its partners in this direction, reports the Reuters news agency
“De-escalation remains the order of the day in the near future. And we will also talk about this with all our friends and allies, and work together with them in this direction,” Scholz told reporters on Friday.
The Jerusalem Post reports its sources have confirmed that Iranian air force assets in Isfahan “almost right next door to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear site in the same area” were hit during blasts that the US attributed to Israel.
“The message was unmistakable, ‘we chose not to hit your nuclear sites this time, but we could have done worse right here,’ sources told the Post.”