G7 Creates Working Group to Study Escorting Commercial Ships Through Gulf, Reopen Strait of Hormuz

New development: the G7 talks in France produced a concrete policy path to safeguard Gulf shipping, including a working group to study the escorting of commercial ships through the Gulf and a push to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“Rubio will try to sell Iran war to skeptical G7 diplomats after Trump insults allies Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in France to meet his Group of Seven counterparts after President Donald Trump attacked NATO over a reluctance or refusal to take part in the Iran war WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in France to meet his Group of Seven counterparts Friday after President Donald Trump attacked NATO countries over a reluctance or refusal to take part in the Iran war, a conflict that some of America’s closest allies have met with deep skepticism”

ABC News

At the same time, the meeting will issue no joint communique, signaling a diplomatic approach tempered by sharp disagreements.

ABC News

This marks a shift from rhetoric to policy options even as Europe remains wary of being dragged into a protracted conflict.

European and U.S. positions on Iran and Russia remain uneasy, complicating any practical plan.

The debate over Russia–Iran cooperation has intensified, with Western officials detailing links such as satellite imagery provision and drone technology that could extend the war’s reach.

Iranian and Moscow officials publicly contest a direct intelligence-sharing link, insisting they are not coordinating as a formal alliance.

Bangkok Post

Across regional media, the pattern of ties—drone capabilities and targeting support—continues to surface as a dominant concern for Europe and Washington.

Rubio’s European trip is framed around extracting clarity on these links, even as some allies press the U.S. to pursue diplomacy first.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a pressure valve for global energy markets, with roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and LNG passing through the chokepoint.

“G7 allies were on Friday pressing US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for clarity on American plans for Iran almost one month into the war in the Middle East, as concern intensifies over the damage to the global economy from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz”

Barron News-Shield

Dozens of vessels face delays as Iran’s actions constrict shipping, and European officials warn against allowing Hormuz to become a coercive tool.

The convergence of Gulf shipping risk and Ukraine-scale energy concerns has pushed the G7 to consider concrete coordination with Gulf partners to stabilize markets as the war extends into its fourth week.

European ministers push for de-escalation and a diplomatic path, while Rubio frames the crisis in stark terms—often signaling that European reluctance to intervene is an impediment to U.S. aims.

European officials assert they cannot be treated as theater of a U.S. war, and Western commentary notes the need to avoid a formal NATO mission while pursuing a negotiated exit.

BNN Bloomberg

U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran are matched by Iranian retaliatory actions, with civilian casualties and a broad toll that complicates any diplomatic exit.

“VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France — Group of Seven foreign ministers met on Friday in France to discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with deep divisions apparent over the U”

BNN Bloomberg

CENTCOM says more than 10,000 targets have been struck across Iran, and HRANA reports civilians killed in the thousands, including children, underscoring the stakes for ordinary people as leaders talk shop in France.

Daily Maverick