Trump links Ukraine support to Strait of Hormuz demining at G7 summit as US-Iran deal nears signing
President Donald Trump offered to back Ukraine and tighten sanctions on Russia at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, but made European naval help for demining the Strait of Hormuz a condition, according to sources cited by Politico.
The bargain at Évian
Leaders of the Group of Seven arrived at Évian-les-Bains braced for confrontation with Donald Trump over Iran and Ukraine. Instead, the first full day of talks produced what German chancellor Friedrich Merz called "a certain sense of optimism." Trump signalled he would intensify pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the war against Ukraine, but tied that support to European assistance in securing the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint whose closure during the Iran conflict sent energy prices spiralling.
The discussions we held among ourselves and with the US president, both in formal meetings and informal ones on the margins, inspire a certain sense of optimism in me.
Two senior EU diplomats, granted anonymity by Politico, said the relief was palpable among the five officials who spoke to the outlet. A day earlier, Trump had unsettled allies by suggesting the Washington-Tehran deal would let him refocus on a Russia-Ukraine peace accord.
The joint declaration
Late Tuesday, the G7 issued a joint statement pledging "unwavering support for Ukraine in its defence of freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity." The document names Trump three times and commits to tightening sanctions on Russia's oil and gas sectors. It also promises increased deliveries of air-defence systems, interceptor missiles, and long-range strike capabilities to Kyiv, plus consideration of licensing arrangements that would let Ukraine expand domestic military production.
This G7 is a moment of strategic wake-up call.
The French president said in a video after the leaders' gala dinner that all G7 members, including the United States, backed the decisions. The declaration also endorses a UK- and France-led international mission to protect vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and calls for an alternative energy supply route, noting "Canada's potential to provide significant additional capacity to global markets in the coming years."
The Hormuz condition
France's Macron stressed that sending minesweeping vessels is possible only at Washington's formal request and with the consent of other parties, notably Iran and Oman. No agreement on the naval mission was reached, but the G7 statement supports the US-Iran accord and says members are "ready to contribute to its implementation."
Trump is desperate to make a deal, and they manoeuvred him, manipulated him to their liking, which is why they got the deal they wanted.
John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser, told Euronews the agreement is "very unfavourable for the United States." He argued Trump is ignoring the geostrategic implications and cares only about reopening the Strait, getting Gulf oil onto world markets, and lowering the price at the pump. Bolton also called the unfreezing of Iranian assets a mistake, saying the regime has not genuinely changed.
The Iran deal taking shape
The US and Iran are set to sign a 14-point memorandum of understanding on 19 June in Switzerland, opening a 60-day negotiation window. Vice President JD Vance described the text as "very general," running to just "a page and a half." Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said a peace deal would require Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon.
- Iranian forces block the Strait of Hormuz, triggering the US-Iran conflict.
- US imposes blockade on Iranian ports in response to the Strait closure.
- G7 summit opens in Évian-les-Bains; Trump floats Ukraine-for-Hormuz bargain.
- First Iranian tankers exit US Navy blockade zone; G7 joint declaration issued.
- US and Iran set to sign 14-point MoU in Switzerland, opening 60-day talks.
Even before the signing, TankerTrackers reported that at least two Iranian VLCC supertankers, DIONA and HERO2, carrying a combined 3.8 million barrels of crude, had exited the US Navy blockade zone. A third tanker later followed with 1 million barrels. The site called these "the country's first crude exports in two months."
Tehran's domestic sales pitch
Iran's leadership is selling the memorandum not as a retreat but as a victory born of resistance. Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the lead negotiator, called it "an important step towards final victory." President Masoud Pezeshkian said full implementation could create "a different world" in Iran and the Middle East. Qalibaf's backing is significant because he is not from Pezeshkian's moderate camp; his public support suggests the deal has buy-in from harder elements of the system, including within the Revolutionary Guard.
A hardline deputy vice-chair of parliament's national security committee reportedly described the draft as a document that would turn Iran into an American colony and accused negotiators of ignoring the supreme leader's directive not to reopen the Strait to navigation. The $300 billion investment fund proposed in the memorandum, financed by Gulf states battered by three months of war, is an alternative to Iran's demand for direct compensation from the US and Israel.
Broader G7 agenda
The leaders also addressed Lebanon, backing efforts to disarm Hezbollah through an "immediate and robust armistice," and pledged to intensify humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Gaza. On the Indo-Pacific, they opposed "any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, in particular through force or coercion, in the East and South China Seas and across the Taiwan Strait."
