European leaders will warn U.S. President Donald Trump at Tuesday’s G7 summit that a superficial interim Iran deal risks entrenching Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, while also pressing him to rethink his Ukraine strategy.
The 15–17 June gathering in Évian-les-Bains, on the shores of Lake Geneva, brings together the leaders of France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, alongside the European Union.
Trump arrived in France on Monday evening buoyed after Washington and Tehran agreed a preliminary deal to end the wider conflict, with a formal signing targeted for Friday.
"The Iran deal will bring a lot of success," Trump said shortly after he arrived in Évian-les-Bains.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the priority was to ensure there is a "solid, serious agreement that is finalised."
He said a Tuesday lunch session would focus on the safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, including a possible Franco-British-led maritime mission and identifying alternative energy routes bypassing the waterway. Trump said the strait would be "completely open" on Friday.
Leaders from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt will attend Tuesday's talks. They are not expected to get into detailed discussions on Iran's nuclear programme, but may outline their expectations, diplomats said.
The interim deal should open a 60-day window for complex technical negotiations that would include the fate of Iran's highly enriched uranium and sanctions lifting.
However, European allies fear an inexperienced U.S. negotiating team may fail to secure a robust nuclear agreement or address Iran’s ballistic missile programme in the next phase, risking a prolonged standoff.
France, Britain and Germany want a role shaping the coming talks after being sidelined in recent months.
The three countries first engaged Iran on its nuclear programme in 2003 and later worked with then-U.S. President Barack Obama to secure a 2015 deal in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump has been disparaging of that accord, which he pulled the U.S. out of during his first presidency.
"It's not like the Obama document, that was a terrible document," Trump said of his deal before going into a bilateral meeting with Macron.
European diplomats also see the summit as an opportunity to convince Trump that past U.S. proposals for a deal to end the fighting in Ukraine have been too favourable to Moscow.
European nations want to signal that they are willing to engage in talks with President Vladimir Putin while tightening sanctions on Russia and boosting military support for Ukraine, emphasising that it is Moscow, not Kyiv, that is blocking progress.
Trump said he thought Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy were "open to do something about the war." Zelenskyy will take part in the first session of the day dedicated to "building peace in Ukraine" and may talk separately with Trump.
With negotiations stalled, Zelenskyy is pushing for renewed momentum and a greater European role. He said on Monday he had offered to meet Putin at the G7 summit for talks to end the four-year war, but that Putin was not ready to speak.
"Ukraine is holding the front line and even partially regaining territory. Ukraine has developed the capability to strike strategic targets deep inside Russia. And Ukraine has become a world-leading producer of cutting-edge military equipment," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Evian.
Zelenskyy frets that the conflict in Iran has diverted U.S. attention. Meanwhile, dynamics on the battlefield have shifted, with Ukrainian drones striking deeper into Russian territory to cut battlefield supply lines and hobble energy infrastructure.
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On 16 July, AnewZ's Daybreak focused on escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, growing concerns over global energy supplies, and France's landmark assisted-dying legislation.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 16th of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
France has moved a step closer to legalising assisted dying after lawmakers approved landmark legislation that would allow some terminally ill adults to end their lives under strict conditions.
Spain booked their place in the World Cup final with a composed 2-0 victory over France on Tuesday, ending the hopes of the tournament favourites and moving within one match of a second World Cup title.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
The death toll from the fire at a live music pub in Bangkok has climbed to 32 after two more victims died from their injuries, according to Thailand's Police Hospital.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
Two British hackers who carried out a cyberattack on Transport for London (TfL) that cost the transport authority £29 million to remediate have been jailed for a total of 11 years.
At least 11 people have been killed and 19 injured in a fire at an orphanage on the outskirts of the Algerian capital, state media reported. The blaze broke out early on Thursday at the institution in the eastern suburbs of Algiers.
A woman whose husband was sucked out of the window of a plane during a Ryanair flight has recounted pulling her husband to safety. Serbian couple Svetlana Maksimovic and Ljubisa Karovic had just settled into a flight with the airline last week, when a loud bang pierced the hum of engines.
Russia launched a fresh wave of missile strikes on Ukraine early on Thursday, saying it had hit military and industrial facilities in Kyiv, as well as key port infrastructure in the southern Odesa region.
Uganda is expected to discharge its final Ebola patient on Thursday, beginning the 42-day countdown required before the country can be declared free of the virus if no new cases emerge, according to a government spokesperson.
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