G7strongly warned Iran and Russia

The G7 on Sunday said time was running out for Iran to agree on a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions and warned Russia of “massive” consequences if it invades Ukraine.

Foreign ministers from the world’s richest nations held a two-day meeting in Liverpool, northwest England, seeking to present a strong, united front against global threats.

On Iran, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, from G7 host Britain, said resumed talks in Vienna were the Islamic Republic’s “last chance to come to the negotiating table with a serious resolution”.

“There is still time for Iran to come and agree this deal,” she told a news conference.
US President Joe Biden has said he is ready to return to the agreement and Iranian officials maintain they are serious about committing to the talks.

But Tehran has been accused of backsliding on progress made earlier this year and playing for time.

Truss said there was “very much a united voice… that there will be massive consequences for Russia in the case of an incursion into Ukraine”.

In the final communique, ministers unanimously backed Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, praising President Volodymyr Zelensky for Kiev’s “posture of restraint”.

All options, including wide-ranging political and economic sanctions, are on the table if Russia ignores a diplomatic solution, officials indicated.

Germany’s new Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, speaking later on Sunday, warned that The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia would not be allowed to operate in the event of any new “escalation” in Ukraine, under an agreement between Berlin and Washington.