EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE/DUBAI, June 17 (Reuters) – The leaders of the G7 countries on Wednesday demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon and said they will diversify energy supply routes to reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz in response to the war in Iran, while at the same time welcoming a provisional agreement to end the conflict.
The leaders met for a summit in the French city of Evian-les-Bains on the shores of Lake Geneva as details of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement leaked from Washington and Tehran ahead of its formal release, scheduled for Friday.
The deal between the US and Iran is expected to kickstart negotiations towards a definitive agreement to end the war, which has killed more than 7,000 people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon.
“We emphasize the need for negotiations… to address the threats posed by Iran in the region and beyond and to ensure that the country never obtains a nuclear weapon,” the leaders said in a statement.
The summit gave US President Donald Trump the opportunity to present his Iran deal to key allies: the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
Most of them share Washington’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear program and other issues, but have never endorsed its decision to go to war and fear that Tehran has gained influence by resisting the superpower’s onslaught and asserting its control over the straits.
The leaders said they were ready to contribute to the implementation of the agreement, with a coalition led by the UK and France ready to help ensure the safety of navigation once the Strait of Hormuz reopens as scheduled on Friday.
The memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran this week, although it has not yet been released, extends the ceasefire announced in April for another 60 days, in order to allow the conflicting countries to negotiate a permanent truce.
The US president appears to have achieved little of what he said he wanted at the start of the war. Iran’s theocratic government remains in power, its stockpile of highly enriched uranium has not been delivered, its ballistic missile capabilities have not been destroyed, and the country has not ended its support for anti-Israel militias such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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Trump has said the deal states that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon — a reaffirmation of Iran’s official position since the 1970s — and U.S. officials say further discussions will lead to the removal or destruction of its stockpile of enriched uranium.
But ending the war on those terms could still expose Trump to criticism, including within his own Republican Party, ahead of the November midterm elections.
TRUE IN LEBANON?
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One of the biggest questions still hanging over the truce is the fate of Lebanon, a country that Israel invaded in March to eradicate Hezbollah after the militant group fired across the border in solidarity with Tehran following US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Israeli forces still occupy a swath of southern Lebanon, where more than a million people have been driven from their homes, while Hezbollah remains undefeated.
Iran says the ceasefire must also end hostilities in Lebanon and that a permanent agreement must lead to an Israeli withdrawal. Israel, which has been excluded from peace talks between the US and Iran, says it will not withdraw and reserves the right to use military force.
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This opened a rift between Israel and the United States, with Trump publicly rebuking his wartime ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Tuesday, Trump told the summit that he was “dissatisfied” with the way Israel had acted.
“Without us, without the United States, there would be no Israel. Without me, there would be no Israel, because no other president was willing to do what I did,” Trump said.
In their statement, G7 leaders called for an “immediate and robust ceasefire” in Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah.
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A Hezbollah spokesman told Reuters the group believed Iran would not agree to a permanent truce if the Israeli occupation did not end.
After decades of U.S. and international financial sanctions that have pushed Iran’s economy to the brink, a peace deal could bring economic benefits. The memorandum includes a $300 billion reconstruction fund, financed by neighboring Gulf countries, if Iran meets the remaining terms.
Over the next 60 days, negotiators will return to difficult issues, such as the future of Iran’s nuclear program. But Iran’s support for regional militias and its missile arsenal does not appear to be on the agenda, which would amount to major concessions by the US.
Oil prices fell again on Wednesday on prospects for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, with Brent crude futures below $80, at their lowest level since the start of the conflict between the US and Iran.
A senior U.S. official said the country will lift sanctions on Iranian oil under the deal to end the war, raising the prospect of millions of additional barrels of supply, although industry officials say oil and gas production in the Middle East will take months to fully recover.
G7 leaders said they committed to “accelerating the diversification of energy supply routes in order to reduce global vulnerability to the Strait of Hormuz and increase our energy stocks.”
