G7 leaders want to contain the Israel-Iran conflict

The Group of Seven summit began in Canada on Monday with world leaders scrambling to contain the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program, with US President Donald Trump reiterating his call for the two nations to start negotiating.

- 

"They should talk, and they should talk immediately," he told reporters.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that Iranian forces will "pummel" Israel until the attacks against the Islamic republic stop.

"Our powerful Armed Forces are making clear to the world that the war criminals hiding in shelters in Tel Aviv will not go unpunished for their crimes," said Araghchi in a post on X. "We will continue to pummel the cowards for as long as needed to make sure that they are no longer firing at our people," he added.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said all G7 leaders agree they "have to find a way to de-escalate the situation" in the Middle East because the Israel-Iran conflict risks inflaming the "tinderbox" of Gaza and hurting the global economy.

Starmer said he'd spoken to Trump about the issue, adding "the risk of the conflict escalating is obvious, I think, and the implications, not just for the region but globally, are really immense, so the focus has to be on de-escalation."