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According to a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iran criticized the G7 alliance for spreading allegations against the country's nuclear program and activities in the region as it suggested the group take a more realistic approach in its dealings, one that entails mutual respect.

It illustrated the accusations as “baseless and interventionist”, calling it the West’s way of enforcing its will on independent countries.

The statement's response refers to the G7 communiqué at the end of the meeting in Japan on Tuesday claiming that Iran must halt what they named a nuclear escalation and called on it to abide by nuclear non-proliferation.

🔽 Iranian FM statement in response to the statement of the #G7 foreign ministers

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has condemned the accusations made in a statement of the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven against the Islamic Republic of #Iran as baseless and meddlesome. pic.twitter.com/pdkMT5bkkI

— Iran Foreign Ministry 🇮🇷 (@IRIMFA_EN) April 19, 2023

Iran reminded the US of its unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear accord, which it should have abided by. 

“It’s a regret that the G7 member states have made baseless accusations against Iran’s totally peaceful nuclear work, instead of holding the US accountable for its grave lawbreaking by withdrawing from the JCPOA unilaterally and unjustifiably, violating the UN Security Council 2231, and imposing of inhumane sanctions on the Iranian nation,” the statement said, stressing that the country maintains its stance on nuclear weapons having no place in its defense since they are against Islam. 

Iran, as per the statement, showed determination to maintain cooperation with the UN nuclear agency, the IAEA, and voiced its expectations of other nations to refrain from politicizing the cooperation. 

Talks halted due to US neglect

The statement also commented on the JCPOA talks in Vienna, adding that Iran believes that the West's miscalculations led to the impeding of the negotiations and that it should be held responsible. 

Negotiations have been halted since August 2022 as a result of the US insistence on not lifting sanctions against Iran, alongside Washington's attempts to ensure that it could withdraw from the agreement again.

On a separate note, after the G7 expressed worry over Iran's alleged support of Russia amid the war in Ukraine, Iran admitted that the West could put its energy to use in ending the war in Ukraine rather than supplying Ukraine with unlimited weapons. 

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict been saying that it believes war is no solution to any crisis, including that in Ukraine, and has reminded the necessity of an immediate ceasefire and the settlement of disputes through political negotiations and stressed respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity," the statement said, stressing that Iran does not provide arms to either side. 

Last month, Russia welcomed Iran's balanced position on the Ukrainian war, as well as the country's interest in a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

The G7’s communiqué expressed concern over "Iran’s systemic human rights violations and abuses, especially with Iran’s efforts to oppress peaceful dissent through threats and intimidation" which Iran replied to by stating that these claims are not new to the West.

“The US and other sides who, in disregard of the consequences and impacts of illegal sanctions on people’s enjoyment of their basic rights, misuse economic and banking tools to advance their political desires against independent countries, lack any ethical and legal credibility to make comments on Iran’s human rights situation,” it relayed, calling the move “totally hypocritical”, considering its silence on "Israel’s" crimes against the Palestinians.

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