Israel-Iran conflict: 'Iran can never have a nuclear weapon', G7 says

Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, leaders of the Group of Seven, gathered in Canada for the 51st G7 Summit, issued a joint statement stressed that Iran can never be allowed to have nuclear weapons. The world's richest countries, however, affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself in the ongoing conflict.

"We affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself," the statement said. "We have been consistently clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. 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 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.

Trump leaves G7 Summit early

US President Donald Trump abruptly left the Group of Seven summit on Monday, departing a day early as the conflict between Israel and Iran intensified and the U.S. leader declared that Tehran should be evacuated “immediately.”

World leaders had gathered in Canada with the specific goal of helping to defuse a series of global pressure points, only to be disrupted by a showdown over Iran's nuclear program that could escalate in dangerous and uncontrollable ways. Israel launched an aerial bombardment campaign against Iran four days ago.

At the summit, Trump warned that Tehran needs to curb its nuclear program before it’s “too late.” He said Iranian leaders would “like to talk” but they had already had 60 days to reach an agreement on their nuclear ambitions and failed to do so before the Israeli aerial assault began. “They have to make a deal,” he said.

Nuclear tensions
So far, Israel has targeted multiple Iranian nuclear program sites but has not been able to destroy Iran’s Fordo uranium enrichment facility.

The site is buried deep underground — and to eliminate it, Israel may need the 30,000-pound (14,000-kilogram) GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, the US bunker-busting bomb that uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets. Israel does not have the munition or the bomber needed to deliver it. The penetrator is currently delivered by the B-2 stealth bomber.