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30-03-2026
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has joined a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in France for talks in which the US-Israeli war with Iran is the main focus.
Rubio is expected to face pressure to de-escalate the conflict as concerns continue to grow over its impact on the world economy.
The other G7 countries, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan are wary of being drawn in militarily. The group is also discussing the war in Ukraine.
As he headed to France, Rubio said it was in the “interest” of G7 nations to “step up” and help restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that Iran has effectively blockaded, causing fuel prices to soar.
“I’m not there to make them happy,” he told reporters. “For all the countries who care about international law, they should be doing something about it.”
As they went into the meeting, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told the media: “We need to see a swift resolution to this conflict that restores the regional stability that needs to include the Strait of Hormuz.”
About 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas typically passes through the strait. Its closure has seen the price of oil skyrocket and has raised concerns that a prolonged blockage could raise energy prices.
Hours before Rubio headed to France, US President Donald Trump again criticized NATO, of which all G7 countries except Japan are members, and said allies in the military alliance had “done absolutely nothing to help with” the situation.
Several key members of the defensive alliance, including the UK, have so far not committed warships to escorting vessels through the strait, arguing bringing the war to a close was the easiest way to get the waterway reopened.
Ministers from the G7 have previously said they were ready to take “necessary measures” to support the global energy supply.
At a meeting of the ministers on Thursday, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the group should develop a “common position” with the US to help bring the war to a swift end.
He added that the talks with Rubio would be important, and that France and the UK shared his position.
Following that meeting, Rubio said in a social media post that he reaffirmed Trump’s commitment to reaching a ceasefire in Russia’s war on Ukraine “as soon as possible”.
Earlier, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met Rubio on the sidelines of the G7 meeting. He wrote on social media that America’s role in advancing peace efforts remained “critical”.
“We also spoke about the developments in the Middle East. Ukraine’s position is that the regimes in Moscow and Tehran work together to prolong the war,” he said.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, who is attending the G7 meeting, said the conflicts were “very much interlinked”, adding that if the US wanted to stop the Iran war, it should “also put the pressure on Russia”.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey told media on Thursday that before the conflict Russia had been sharing intelligence and providing training to Iran on drones and electronic warfare.
“As far as Iran goes, they’re demonstrating a capacity to hit across the Middle East, we see the same tactics and technologies that we see employed by Russia in Ukraine, and this is the hidden hand of Putin in both conflicts,” he said. (Int’l News Desk)
