G7 Leaders Meet in France after US and Iran Declare Agreement to End War

Barbed wire fences surround a French Army military zone on the shore of Lake Geneva, in Evian-les-Bains, France, 06 June 2026. EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT
Barbed wire fences surround a French Army military zone on the shore of Lake Geneva, in Evian-les-Bains, France, 06 June 2026. EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT
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G7 Leaders Meet in France after US and Iran Declare Agreement to End War

Barbed wire fences surround a French Army military zone on the shore of Lake Geneva, in Evian-les-Bains, France, 06 June 2026. EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT
Barbed wire fences surround a French Army military zone on the shore of Lake Geneva, in Evian-les-Bains, France, 06 June 2026. EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations meet at a French lakeside resort on Monday shortly after the US and Iran said they had reached a preliminary deal to end their war.

Discussing next steps on Iran will be one of several issues the global leaders will wrestle with during the June 15-17 summit, which will also seek common ground on the war in Ukraine, tackling global economic imbalances and sourcing critical minerals outside of the dominant supplier China, Reuters said.

US President Donald Trump is due to arrive in Evian-les-Bains on Monday for the gathering at a time when global leaders are increasingly wary of the United States, although French officials were glad to have secured his presence after he ‌left last year's ‌G7 summit in Canada early.

Many G7 leaders have been directly impacted ‌by ⁠Trump's volatile moves on ⁠the global stage that have upended the Middle East, global trade and diplomacy. His actions have led to larger questions about the US commitment to the post-war global order it helped establish.

Trump is due to meet with Middle Eastern leaders and attend a working session with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during the summit.

The Zelenskiy meeting on Tuesday comes at a time when Russian advances in Ukraine have slowed and Ukraine seeks more military funding from its allies.

Zelenskiy's hand has improved since Trump famously told him in the Oval Office last year: "You don't have the ⁠cards".

But he may find greater US support elusive as Trump prioritizes drawing a ‌line under then Iran conflict, which has dented his support ‌domestically.

IRAN DEAL

G7 leaders will be keen to learn the details of the US-Iran deal. A memorandum of understanding is ‌scheduled to be officially signed on Friday in Switzerland but precise terms were not immediately known.

Trump said the ‌Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping route for global oil and gas supplies that Iran has effectively shut down for months, would open on Friday, and that he had ordered the end of the US blockade of Iranian ports.

In a statement, the secretariat of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said war and military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, would ‌end permanently starting on Monday night.

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said a more expansive agreement would be negotiated during a 60-day ceasefire period, including sanctions ⁠relief for Iran. Iran's nuclear ⁠program will be addressed in those later talks, sources had previously told Reuters.

The United Arab Emirates, directly harmed by the war, and key mediators Qatar and Egypt will also attend the G7.

MACRON'S MOMENT

Trump will be greeted on Monday by French President Emmanuel Macron, for whom this summit serves as a diplomatic capstone for his second and final term in office, which draws to a close next year.

Macron is increasingly seen as a lame duck domestically but he still has pull on the global stage, and was able to get Trump to agree to a glitzy dinner at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday.

Macron has sought to use France's presidency of the G7 to push for action on global macroeconomic imbalances, a longstanding US concern, before Washington takes the chair of the G20 this year and the G7 next. France has framed the issue as a shared responsibility in that China overproduces, the United States overconsumes and Europe underinvests.

Brazil, India, Kenya and South Korea have been invited to the G7 to join the discussion, while Macron has urged China to boost its own consumption.



New US Attacks on Iran Were Absolutely Necessary, NATO Chief Says

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks upon arrival at the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, 08 July 2026. (EPA)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks upon arrival at the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, 08 July 2026. (EPA)
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New US Attacks on Iran Were Absolutely Necessary, NATO Chief Says

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks upon arrival at the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, 08 July 2026. (EPA)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks upon arrival at the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, 08 July 2026. (EPA)

The new attacks by the US on Iran were "absolutely necessary," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday.

The US military unleashed a new wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday and revoked a license allowing Tehran to sell oil after three tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait ‌of Hormuz, putting pressure ‌on an already fragile ‌ceasefire.

"When ⁠you have a ⁠ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully react," Rutte told reporters before a summit of NATO leaders in Ankara.

At their summit, European ⁠leaders aim to convince Donald Trump ‌to re-commit ‌to the military alliance, after the US president revived ‌his disputes with them over the ‌Iran war and Greenland.

Rutte said there could be no doubt over the "complete commitment of the United States to NATO," which he said ‌also works to protect the United States.

"But there's also the expectation ⁠that ⁠the Europeans and the Canadians will equalize their spending with the United States, which I think is completely fair," he added.

"The good news is that this is the big win today. It's the loss for Putin, it is a win for President Trump that the Europeans and the Canadians are doing exactly that."


Trump Says Ceasefire with Iran is 'Over' but Negotiations Can Continue

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) and US President Donald Trump meet on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, on July 8, 2026. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) and US President Donald Trump meet on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, on July 8, 2026. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
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Trump Says Ceasefire with Iran is 'Over' but Negotiations Can Continue

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) and US President Donald Trump meet on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, on July 8, 2026. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) and US President Donald Trump meet on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, on July 8, 2026. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the interim agreement with Iran is “over” but he will allow talks to continue.

“For me, I think it’s over,” Trump responded when asked about the status of ceasefire. “It’s just a waste of time dealing with them.”

He made the comment on the sidelines of the two-day NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, and hours after striking Iran in what the US described as retaliation for strikes on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump added that US representatives can continue negotiations but he cast doubt on the outcome. “They can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time,” he said.


China Warns US, Iran Against ‘Reigniting’ War, Urges Dialogue

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, July 8, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, July 8, 2026. (Reuters)
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China Warns US, Iran Against ‘Reigniting’ War, Urges Dialogue

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, July 8, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, July 8, 2026. (Reuters)

China denounced on Wednesday a sharp escalation in hostilities in the Middle East after the United States struck dozens of targets in Iran, with Beijing's foreign ministry warning both sides against "reigniting" the war in the Middle East.

"Reigniting the war is not in the interests of either side, and military means cannot solve the fundamental problems," foreign spokesperson Mao Ning told a news conference, when asked about the strikes.

The US military attacked Iran early Wednesday after it said Tehran struck three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, part of an American effort that also revoked Tehran’s ability to openly sell crude oil in the world market. Iran retaliated with strikes targeting Bahrain and Kuwait.

The US military’s Central Command said American forces launched the strikes “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”

It said it hit Iranian targets including air defense systems, radars and over 60 small boats used by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Those boats have been key in harassing ships in the strait.

The US military remains “postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed,” it added, saying this round of attacks had ended.

The regional crossfire raised the risks that an interim agreement to halt fighting in the war could break down, putting the Middle East again at risk of a wider conflict.

However, the fire followed a pattern of similar attacks during the deal's shaky ceasefire, and neither country immediately signaled they would leave the negotiating table.