Khaberni - US President Donald Trump, during his attendance at the summit of the leaders of the "Group of Seven" (G7) held at the French resort "Evian les Bains", confirmed that the United States does not need "much help" to reopen and secure the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Trump's statements at the beginning of bilateral talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron dominated the summit atmosphere, raising international questions about his historic agreement with Tehran to end the war in the Middle East.
Trump surprised his French host by implicitly rejecting an offer by Paris and London to form a joint naval task force, saying: "I don’t think we'll need much help to keep the strait open," announcing that the waterway would be "fully open" as of next Friday after the completion of mine clearance operations.
An official in the US administration confirmed that Trump, his deputy Jai Dee Vance, and the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, had officially signed the text of the agreement "electronically," a move endorsed by Macron, indicating that additional points would be finalized by Friday.
The controversy over Iranian tariffs and an extended summit including Arab leaders
The diplomatic backstage witnessed a debate about Tehran's attempts to impose what it described as "marine service fees" on passing ships, where Macron in a statement to "TF1" (TF1) emphasized that allies defend international law and will do everything possible to prevent the imposition of any fees "to enrich those in power in Iran."
A special extended session of the summit is scheduled for Tuesday to discuss the Iranian file, with the participation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, along with international leaders such as Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The summit was accompanied by strict security measures that extended to neighboring Switzerland, which witnessed confrontations with protestors.
These developments come just one day after Trump celebrated his eightieth birthday by watching Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) matches in the White House gardens, a birthday that "The New York Times" revealed Tehran deliberately delayed the agreement until midnight to avoid coinciding with it, despite the welcome by the "Big Four" in Europe.
The Ukraine file imposes itself... and Moscow "was not ready" for the meeting
Internationally, European leaders and Canada pressured Trump to continue curbing Russia more than four years after its invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a "decisive and concrete" response from the group in response to recent Russian strikes that killed 11 people and burned a famous cathedral in Kyiv.
Zelensky revealed that he had proposed a meeting with Vladimir Putin during the summit, though Moscow "was not ready," despite the friendly phone call Putin made to Trump to congratulate him on his birthday.
For his part, Trump reiterated his assurances that he is capable of doing "something" to end the conflict, hinting that both Zelensky and Putin are "open" to his vision of resolution.
The US President is scheduled to extend his stay in France unusually to have a working dinner with Macron at the "Versailles" palace on Wednesday to continue discussing these issues, alongside his previous threats to impose a 100% tariff on French wine if the digital services tax is not abolished.
