Watch again as Antony Blinken speaks from G7 summit after Israel carries out strikes on Iran

Watch again as Antony Blinken speaks from the G7 summit on Friday (19 April) after Israel carried out strikes on Iran.

The US Secretary of State held a news conference on the final day of a three-day meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven major industrialised nations.

Mr Blinken’s speech came after Israel launched a retaliatory attack against Iran overnight, with explosions heard near a major military airbase.

Tehran was forced to activate its air defence system above the city of Isfahan, which is also home to sites associated with Iran’s nuclear programme. However, there was no damage to the nuclear sites, said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The UK government has urged de-escalation and moderation in the Middle East, while accepting Israel’s “absolute right to defend itself”.

It remained unclear if the country was under attack, as no Iranian official directly acknowledged the possibility and Israel’s military did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for a comment.