The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, arrived in France this morning to join the G7 foreign ministers' meeting, held on March 26 and 27 at the Abbey of Vaux-de-Cernay, near Paris, under the French rotating presidency. The information was confirmed by real-time sources from the meeting location.
The meeting brings together the heads of diplomacy from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, and the European Union, with the additional participation of representatives from Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, India, Brazil, and South Korea. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha attended as a guest for the session dedicated to the conflict in his country, scheduled for 11:15 local time today.
The meeting is dominated by two major crises. The first is the war that the United States and Israel are waging against Iran since February 28, when Operation Epic Fury was launched with the declared goal of eliminating the Iranian nuclear program and overthrowing the Tehran regime. In response, Iran is maintaining an effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil passes, and has launched over 3,000 missiles and drones against regional targets since the conflict began.
Before his G7 partners, Rubio pressured allies to actively contribute to reopening the strait. Rubio stated who he is interested in making happy in foreign policy, arguing that Europe and Asia depend on this energy route more than the United States does. Since the start of hostilities, Iran has recorded at least 21 attacks on merchant vessels in the strait up to March 12.
The U.S. Central Command destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels on March 10, in an action whose images of the attack on Iranian ships circulated widely. On March 14, Washington bombed Kharg Island, the center of 90% of Iran's oil exports, and on March 18, used GBU-72/B penetrator bombs against Iranian anti-ship missile arsenals.
On the same day as the meeting, President Donald Trump extended a new ten-day pause in attacks on Iranian energy infrastructures, until April 6, linked to discreet diplomatic progress. Trump had issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran on March 21 to reopen the strait, which he then postponed by five days following positive talks. "Most of the people making all the decisions in Iran are no longer there."
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