EVIAN-LES-Bains, France (AP) — President Donald Trump is heading to the French Alps on Monday to meet with fellow world leaders at the Group of Seven summit after announcing an agreement that he says will bring an end to the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran.
Trump and Iranian officials had been saying for days they were making progress toward reaching a deal, but even on Sunday, things appeared to be on shaky ground after a new round of strikes between
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
With the agreement, Trump is due to arrive in Evian-les-Bains on Monday afternoon with some wind at his back for talks with G7 leaders, including some who have been sharply critical of his managing of the roughly 15-week conflict that has led to a surge in global energy prices.
The conflict, which polls show American voters largely disapproved of, had made some Republicans nervous about the political impacts it could have on the November midterm election.
“Ships of the World, start your engines," Trump said in a social media post celebrating the deal that he said would lead to the U.S. ending its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s crude had flowed before the conflict. “Let the oil flow!”
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, however, said the Iranian closure of the strait would continue until the agreement is officially signed.
Neither the White House nor Iran published the final agreement or revealed many details. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country served as a mediator in the negotiations, said there would be “pre-implementation discussions” this week to lay the ground for 60 days of technical talks on Iran's nuclear program.
Sealing an agreement before jetting off to the summit could certainly change the dynamic of the gathering for Trump. He has had friction with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over failing to consult them before the decision to go to war.
Meanwhile, Trump has pushed back on the four European leaders — all members of the NATO military alliance — for their lack of support for the U.S. in the conflict.
Trump is expected to discuss with leaders the demining of the Strait of Hormuz, according to the White House. Britain and France have expressed interest in assisting with the demining once the conflict is paused. Fear of potential mines is among the reasons that tanker traffic has come to a halt during the war, and quickly clearing them will be crucial to regaining the confidence of commercial vessels.
Macron, this year’s summit host, invited the leaders of three nations that aren’t part of the G7 — Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — to take part in a session on the Middle East on Tuesday where Iran is expected to be a central focus.
"The aim will be to assess the implications of this agreement, support for Lebanon, the long-term reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, of course, reaching a deal on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic (missile) programs,” Macron said in a video posted on social media on Sunday evening.
Trump had fiercely criticized former President Barack Obama for the 2015 nuclear agreement that Trump argued failed to stop Tehran from advancing toward a weapon and funneled billions into the Islamic Republic’s coffers.
In 2018, Trump exited the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union were also signatories to the pact.
But Trump hasn't detailed how his agreement will address some key issues about Iran's nuclear program, including who will be in charge of verifying that Iran is complying with the agreement and who will destroy or remove 972 pounds (440.89 kilograms) of highly enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites that were badly damaged by U.S. strikes last summer.
The deal is also expected to include some sanctions relief and economic incentives for Tehran as it meets certain benchmarks aimed at assuaging White House concerns, senior administration officials said ahead of the two sides reaching an agreement.
Some Democrats and hawkish critics say Trump has failed to explain how the financial relief in his agreement will differ from what Obama did in the 2015 nuclear deal.
“For all his critique of JCPOA, we had international observers, we actually had an alliance there that included the Europeans, and Russia and China were all signatories,” Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CBS' “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “Now it is America going alone or going with Israel only, and that does not make us safer.”
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump and an Iran hawk, expressed skepticism, saying that Congress will need to review and vote on any nuclear deal with Iran, and said he expects Vice President JD Vance — “the architect of the deal” — to present it. “I am somewhat concerned that Iran’s view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming,” Graham said on social media.
Macron also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a working session with G7 leaders on Tuesday to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war.
At the moment, Zelenskyy is not scheduled to hold one-on-one talks with Trump while they're both in France, but Trump on Sunday held separate phone calls with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin’s call with Trump lasted just under an hour, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters afterward.
On Ukraine, Ushakov said Trump emphasized the need to end hostilities and stated his readiness to influence European allies and Kyiv toward that goal, including at the G7.
According to Ushakov, Trump also said that recent strikes on civilian targets in Russia complicate a settlement. The White House did not comment on the call.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Russia soon, Ushakov said.
Zelenskyy said in a statement posted on Telegram that he told Trump about how Ukraine’s position along the eastern frontline has improved and strengthened.
“We agreed to discuss more during our meeting at the G7 summit,” he said.
Trump and Zelenskyy last met in December, when the Ukrainian leader visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and the resulting global energy disruptions have overshadowed the conflict in Ukraine and pulled much of Trump’s attention away from the conflict in Europe that he vowed to quickly bring to an end during his 2024 White House run.
___
Madhani reported from Geneva, Switzerland and Superville from Washington.
