G7 foreign ministers pressed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio over Washington’s Iran policy this week, sources familiar with the closed-door discussions told BoseTimes. The talks came after President Donald Trump openly berated NATO allies for not contributing more to the U.S.-led military operations against Iran.
The emergency G7 meeting in Paris was called to address growing tensions after Iran shot down a U.S. drone over the Strait of Hormuz last month, bringing the two countries to the brink of direct conflict. European powers France, Germany and the UK have sought to de-escalate the situation through diplomatic channels, in contrast to the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” approach of intensifying sanctions and military posturing.
Rubio, a key architect of the administration’s Iran strategy, faced a skeptical audience as he tried to rally G7 support for further action against Tehran. European ministers voiced concerns that U.S. policies were dangerously elevating the risk of miscalculation and unintended escalation.
“There are legitimate worries that the Trump administration’s bellicose rhetoric and moves are making the situation more volatile, not less,” one European diplomat told BoseTimes. “We need to step back from the brink and focus on dialogue, not confrontation.”
Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Washington’s traditional European allies, accusing them of freeloading on U.S. security commitments. In a tweet ahead of the G7 talks, he complained that NATO members were not “stepping up” to support America’s Iran strategy, which he has tightly linked to his staunch pro-Israel agenda.
Rubio and other Iran hawks in the administration face an uphill battle to get G7 partners to join their maximum pressure campaign. European leaders remain committed to salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal that Trump abandoned, and are wary of being dragged into a new Middle East conflict at America’s behest.
As the G7 meeting concluded, officials indicated that further coordination on Iran would be a priority agenda item when leaders meet at the G20 summit in Japan later this month. But with transatlantic tensions high, bridging the divide over the Iran issue may prove an elusive goal.
