Rubio’s trip to France this week underscores how Washington is trying to marshal coalition support as its Iran-war strategy draws skepticism from major partners. The State Department said the secretary of state will attend a G7 foreign ministers meeting near Versailles outside of Paris on Friday, framing the agenda around advancing “key U.S. interests” and discussing shared security concerns and opportunities for cooperation.
The department said the topics of focus would include the Russia-Ukraine war and developments in the Middle East, as well as threats across the world to peace and stability. It also said the meeting would take place amid conflicting accounts over whether the United States and Iran are talking about a resolution to the conflict.
Rubio was also set to use the meeting as an opportunity to try to persuade G7 partners of the approach behind the U.S. operation against Iran. The AP report said many of those allies have reacted “coolly at best” to the U.S.-Israeli military operation and have declined to participate.
President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. and Iran have had discussions, though Iran has denied it, according to the AP report. At the same time, the report said numerous other countries are involved in nascent efforts aimed at finding an off-ramp to the broader crisis.
One factor complicating diplomacy is the effect of the war on global energy flows. The AP report said oil prices have surged as the Strait of Hormuz closed to most shipping, including tankers, leaving many routes disrupted.
The report also described how Trump has lashed out at some G7 members and NATO allies for not answering his calls to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In recent days, it said several of them had indicated they were willing to support “appropriate action” to restore normal traffic through the waterway.
In the background of the diplomatic push, the AP report said nearly all of the other G7 nations — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan — have at least been cautious about aligning with the U.S. approach to the Iran war. Rubio’s France stop is scheduled to move that effort toward a direct discussion with the foreign ministers gathered for the G7 meeting near Versailles.