Top diplomats from the Group of Seven countries showed divisions with the United States over the Iran war but agreed Friday (local time) during a meeting in France to call for an immediate halt to attacks against civilians and urge the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined his G7 counterparts a day after President Donald Trump lobbed his latest round of insults at other NATO countries, making it even more difficult for America's top diplomat to try to sell the US strategy for the Iran conflict to close allies. Trump has repeatedly complained that allies have ignored or rejected requests for help confronting Tehran’s retaliation, including its chokehold on the waterway that has disrupted oil shipments and pushed up energy prices.
Rubio struck a softer tone, saying the US would seek international cooperation on a plan to keep the strait open after hostilities end. Trump, as part of an evolving rhetorical approach, warned as recently as last week that the US would “obliterate” Iran's power plants if the waterway were not reopened within 48 hours, though he has extended that deadline until April 6.
Rubio emerged from discussions with fellow diplomats with a longer-term message about the conclusion of the war, when he said the US and allies will face a challenge in keeping the strait open. He cautioned that Iran may seek to set up a toll on the waterway — where 20% of the world’s oil typically passes — an act that he said could cause significant economic damage to many nations around the globe.
“Not only is this illegal, it’s unacceptable. It’s dangerous to the world,” Rubio told reporters of the possibility that Iran would seek to restrict traffic through the strait. “And it’s important that the world have a plan.”
France says the Iran war 'is not ours' as allies call for diplomacy
Most of America’s closest allies have greeted the Iran war with deep scepticism, which was on display as the G7 foreign ministers gathered at a historic 12th-century abbey in Vaux-de-Cernay, outside Paris, even as they urged a diplomatic solution. Four weeks into the war that the US and Israel launched, the allies face concerns about instability in the oil markets and uncertainty over potential negotiations to end the crisis.
Several EU countries, now grappling with economic consequences of the war, have said they were not consulted by the US before it launched its military actions in Iran. French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin said Friday that the war “is not ours”, adding that France's position is strictly defensive.
“The aim is truly this diplomatic approach, which is the only one that can guarantee a return to peace,” she said on Europe 1 and CNews.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Britain also favoured a diplomatic path, acknowledging differences with the United States.
“We have taken the approach of supporting defensive action, but also we’ve taken a different approach on the offensive action that has taken place as part of this conflict,” she said
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he made “our position clear, namely that there is certainly a readiness on Germany’s part to play a role after the end of hostilities when it comes to ensuring the security of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz”.
He said his interest is “to broaden what we have as a common basis” regarding the conflict in the Middle East.
Rubio seemed to play down the potential for a widening conflict, saying the US was capable of achieving its objectives without ground troops.
G7 diplomats agree to call for halt to attacks on civilians
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said after the meeting that the group adopted a declaration calling for the “immediate cessation” of attacks against civilian populations and infrastructure during the Iran war.
“Nothing justifies deliberately targeting civilians during armed conflicts, nor carrying out attacks against diplomatic facilities,” Barrot told reporters, saying the declaration "also reaffirms the absolute necessity of permanently restoring free and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz”.
Echoing Wadephul's comments, Barrot said that once US military objectives have been achieved, escort missions could “provide the necessary security so that ship traffic can resume as quickly as possible”.
“You can clearly see that with each passing day, the situation is worsening due to the lack of ship traffic from the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world,” he said.
Barrot added that Rubio, like others in the discussions, “wants that once the United States’ military objectives have been achieved, maritime security and freedom of navigation can be ensured in the Strait of Hormuz, as in all international waters around the world”.
Trump's criticism of NATO allies makes Iran war a harder sell for Rubio
Trump has complained that other NATO countries were not stepping up to help against Iran.
“We are very disappointed with NATO because NATO has done absolutely nothing,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting Thursday.
Of the G7 nations — besides the US — Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy are members of the trans-Atlantic military alliance. Japan is the only one that is not.
“We’re there to protect NATO, to protect them from Russia. But they’re not there to protect us,” Trump added.
Rubio, however, said the US is “not asking for anybody to join the war” against Iran but that the countries most affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz “should be willing to do something about it, and we’ll help them” after the conflict ends.
Europeans concerned about Iran war's impact on Ukraine
Russia's war in Ukraine was also a major topic at the G7 meeting, with US-brokered talks persisting but making no breakthroughs, and allies concerned that the new conflict in the Middle East will divert US attention from a commitment to Ukraine.
Wadephul, the German foreign minister, said he made clear at the meeting that “there must be no cuts when it comes to maintaining Ukraine’s defence capability”.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Rubio said that while no US weapons have been pulled from sales bound for Ukraine to go to the Middle East instead, it could happen if deemed necessary.
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