Trump to meet Middle East partners on sidelines of G7 in France to discuss Iran
President Donald Trump will meet with U.S. partners in the Middle East at this week’s G7 summit in France, highlighting the central role the war in Iran continues to play as allies grapple with its economic fallout.
According to senior administration officials, Trump will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of France, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and India, though India and the Middle Eastern countries are not G7 members.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not expected to attend, according to a U.S. official.
The U.S. and Iran are nearing an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which could be signed as early as Sunday on the sidelines of the summit. President Trump said on TruthSocial that a deal is scheduled to be signed tomorrow.
According to Axios, the U.S. and Iran, together with Pakistani and Qatari mediators, are expected to hold a virtual meeting tomorrow and electronically sign a memorandum of understanding that will extend the ceasefire by 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and launch negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
Officials said the administration believes it has a strong deal and expects other G7 nations to take supportive actions once it moves forward.
Trump is expected to focus on economic development, security, supply chain resilience, artificial intelligence, regulatory streamlining, and energy production.
The June 15-17 summit in Évian-les-Bains comes amid tensions between the U.S. and key allies. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted global energy markets, drove up gasoline prices, and raised concerns about economic growth. Trump has criticized European allies for not doing more to reopen the waterway and has again raised the possibility of a U.S. exit from NATO.
Officials said they support greater European defense contributions and want to see more burden-sharing. They also said no trade breakthroughs with Canada or India are expected.
The G7 will discuss trade, China, critical minerals, AI, and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Trump has not scheduled a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, though Zelenskyy will participate in a G7 working session. After the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron will host Trump at Versailles to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.
