Trump, Macron spar over Strait of Hormuz security as G7 summit opens with Iran deal in focus

A deal announced from afar

A framework agreement between Washington and Tehran, revealed by President Trump on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, reshaped the opening of the G7 summit in the French spa town of Evian. The pact aims to end the conflict that has choked the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway carrying roughly a fifth of global oil. Trump declared "Ships of the world, start your engines" and promised a "complete" reopening by Friday.

Ships of the world, start your engines.

The toll dispute

Trump insisted passage would be free of charge. "It will be open and toll-free," he told reporters in Evian, though he conceded there had been "a little argument" on the matter. Iran’s foreign ministry immediately countered that it would levy fees for maritime services, not a toll. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen backed the US position, demanding the strait be restored "without transit fees." French President Macron accused Tehran of splitting hairs, saying "there must be no fees that enrich anyone."

Freedom of navigation must be restored without transit fees.

Macron’s military offer brushed aside

France’s president came to the summit ready to dispatch warplanes, frigates and the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle within days to secure the waterway, a plan he had coordinated with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for weeks. "We are ready to act very, very quickly," Macron said. Trump largely dismissed the offer. "I think we don’t need much help because we have a deal," he said, adding condescendingly that "it’s not a bad idea to have a ship or two from a few countries there."

I think we don't need much help because we have a deal.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Evian with a different stance, announcing talks with allies about a possible military mission. Two German navy vessels were already waiting for a mandate. "We want to engage with our partners in ensuring free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," Merz said, while stressing that the conditions for deployment had to be met first.

A summit of cold handshakes

Beneath the diplomacy lay fresh friction. Macron kept Trump waiting for an hour after a meeting with Brazil’s President Lula ran long, then offered only a brief, stiff handshake before cameras. The chill followed a new threat from Trump to slap 100 percent tariffs on French wine and champagne unless Paris scraps its digital services tax. Macron had also stripped the G7 agenda of climate and gender topics to please Washington and shifted the summit to Monday so it would not fall on Trump’s 80th birthday on Saturday.

What comes next

Vice President JD Vance is set to sign the deal in Geneva on Friday, with Trump calling the text "strong" and promising its publication "sometime after Friday." A senior US official said Trump, Vance and Iran’s lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had already signed electronically, though Tehran did not confirm. Vance ruled out any American funds flowing to Iran, calling reports of $24 billion in released frozen assets false. He did not exclude using US forces to secure Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpiles. Von der Leyen cautioned that EU sanctions would not ease without "real changes on the ground," though economic penalties tied to nuclear activities could be separated from those over human rights violations.