President Donald Trump informed allies on Monday that the US would require minimal assistance to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. This statement was made during a G7 summit meeting in France, dominated by discussions about his Iran deal aimed at ending the Middle East conflict.
Trump arrived in Evian-les-Bains for the summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron after celebrating his 80th birthday. Allies are eager to question Trump regarding the deal and await the Strait’s reopening and a drop in global energy prices.
Macron faces a delicate situation hosting Trump, who has threatened tariffs on French wine and champagne unless Paris removes a digital services tax. The Strait of Hormuz will be fully open from Friday after demining is completed, according to Trump. However, he also stated that “we don’t think we are going to need much help” in keeping the Strait open.
Macron had previously said France and the UK were ready to act quickly on the Hormuz mission. There has been controversy over potential Iranian fees for vessels using the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran insisting it would charge maritime service fees but not tolls. Macron told TF1 television that “we defend international law and we will do everything in our power to ensure there is no toll.”
The US-Iran agreement details have not been disclosed publicly. The accord was signed electronically, with additional annexes yet to be finalized on Friday.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the emir of Qatar, and the president of the United Arab Emirates will attend a special session on Iran on Tuesday. Over the next three days, world leaders will convene in France, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A vast security lockdown is in place, mobilizing thousands of police and troops, extending to neighboring Switzerland where protesters clashed with police on Sunday. European leaders and Canada hope to remind Trump of the importance of pushing Russia to accept peace terms for Ukraine, more than four years after its invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged a decisive response from G7 leaders following recent Russian strikes that killed at least 11 people and sparked a fire at a landmark Kyiv cathedral. He proposed a meeting with Putin but was informed that Moscow is not ready for it. Trump, who spoke by phone to both Zelensky and Putin, said “maybe we can do something” on Ukraine at the G7.
Unusually, Trump extended his stay in France by dining with Macron at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris on Wednesday after the G7 concludes. Macron insisted that the meal would not be a gala dinner and acknowledged that Trump needed to remain until the end of the G7 meeting.