ISTANBUL

The Group of Seven wealthy nations condemned in the “strongest possible terms” on Saturday Iran's export and Russia's acquirement of Iranian ballistic missiles. 

“We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the EU, condemn in the strongest possible terms Iran's export and Russia's procurement of Iranian ballistic missiles,” the group said in a statement.

The statement underlined that continued evidence of Tehran supplying weapons to Russia, despite numerous international appeals to stop, marks a significant escalation in Iran's military backing of Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine.

“Russia has used Iranian weaponry such as UAVs to kill Ukrainian civilians and strike their critical infrastructure. Russia's aggression constitutes a flagrant violation of international law including the UN Charter,” it said.

The statement urged Iran to stop support for Russia's “illegal and justifiable war against Ukraine” and halt transfers of ballistic missiles.

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to hold Iran to account for its unacceptable support for Russia's illegal war in Ukraine that further undermines global security,” it said.

“In line with our previous statements on the matter, we are already responding with new and significant measures,” it added.