Trump Heads to G7 Summit Amid War Deal 06/15 06:03

   President Donald Trump is headed to the French Alps on Monday to meet with 
fellow world leaders at the Group of Seven summit after announcing an agreement 
that he says will bring an end to the U.S. war with Iran.

   EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) -- President Donald Trump is headed to the 
French Alps on Monday to meet with fellow world leaders at the Group of Seven 
summit after announcing an agreement that he says will bring an end to the U.S. 
war with Iran.

   Trump and Iranian officials had been saying for days they were making 
progress toward reaching a deal, but even on Sunday, things appeared to be on 
shaky ground after a new round of strikes between Israel and Iran-backed 
Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

   With the agreement, Trump is due to arrive in Evian-les-Bains on Monday 
afternoon with some wind at his back for talks with G7 leaders, including some 
who have been sharply critical of his managing of the roughly 15-week conflict 
that has led to a surge in global energy prices.

   The conflict, which polls show American voters largely disapproved of, had 
made some Republicans nervous about the political impacts it could have on the 
November midterm election.

   "Ships of the World, start your engines," Trump said in a social media post 
celebrating the deal that he said would lead to the U.S. ending its blockade of 
the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's crude had flowed 
before the conflict. "Let the oil flow!"

   Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, however, said the Iranian 
closure of the strait would continue until the agreement is officially signed.

   Neither the White House nor Iran published the final agreement or revealed 
many details. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country served as 
a mediator in the negotiations, said there would be "pre-implementation 
discussions" this week to lay the ground for 60 days of technical talks on 
Iran's nuclear program.

   The deal could change the G7 dynamic

   Sealing an agreement before jetting off to the summit could certainly change 
the dynamic of the gathering for Trump. He has had friction with French 
President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German 
Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over 
failing to consult them before the decision to go to war.

   Meanwhile, Trump has pushed back on the four European leaders -- all members 
of the NATO military alliance -- for their lack of support for the U.S. in the 
conflict.

   Trump is expected to discuss with leaders the demining of the Strait of 
Hormuz, according to the White House. Britain and France have expressed 
interest in assisting with the demining once the conflict is paused. Fear of 
potential mines is among the reasons that tanker traffic has come to a halt 
during the war, and quickly clearing them will be crucial to regaining the 
confidence of commercial vessels.

   Macron, this year's summit host, invited the leaders of three nations that 
aren't part of the G7 -- Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates -- to take 
part in a session on the Middle East on Tuesday where Iran is expected to be a 
central focus.

   "The aim will be to assess the implications of this agreement, support for 
Lebanon, the long-term reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and, of course, 
reaching a deal on Iran's nuclear and ballistic (missile) programs," Macron 
said in a video posted on social media on Sunday evening.

   The leaders of the U.K., France, Germany and Italy also issued a joint 
statement welcoming the agreement as a "moment of opportunity to restore 
regional stability and stabilize the global economy."

   "It is now vital that the detailed negotiations are concluded and this 
agreement is implemented rapidly and comprehensively," the leaders' statement 
added.

   In a separate development, Trump ahead of departing for the summit said in 
an interview with the New York Post he has warned Macron the US will "have no 
choice" but to slap 100% tariffs on French wines unless Paris eliminates its 
digital tax on American tech companies, renewing a long-running threat from the 
Republican that dates to his first administration.

   Wines and spirits exported to the U.S. from the European Union currently 
face a 15% tariff.

   Trump faces questions about financial incentives for Tehran

   Trump had fiercely criticized former President Barack Obama for the 2015 
nuclear agreement that Trump argued failed to stop Tehran from advancing toward 
a weapon and funneled billions into the Islamic Republic's coffers.

   In 2018, Trump exited the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of 
Action. Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union were 
also signatories to the pact.

   Trump in an interview on Sunday with The New York Times pushed back on 
comparisons to the Obama-era nuclear deal. "We negotiated from strength," Trump 
said. "He was basically paying them off."

   But Trump hasn't detailed how his agreement will address some key issues 
about Iran's nuclear program, including who will be in charge of verifying that 
Iran is complying with the agreement and who will destroy or remove 972 pounds 
(441 kilograms) of highly enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear 
sites that were badly damaged by U.S. strikes last summer.

   The deal is also expected to include some sanctions relief and economic 
incentives for Tehran as it meets certain benchmarks aimed at assuaging White 
House concerns, senior administration officials said ahead of the two sides 
reaching an agreement.

   Some Democrats and hawkish critics say Trump has failed to explain how the 
financial relief in his agreement will differ from what Obama did in the 2015 
nuclear deal.

   "For all his critique of JCPOA, we had international observers, we actually 
had an alliance there that included the Europeans, and Russia and China were 
all signatories," Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence 
Committee, told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "Now it is America going 
alone or going with Israel only, and that does not make us safer."

   Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump and an Iran hawk, 
expressed skepticism, saying that Congress will need to review and vote on any 
nuclear deal with Iran, and said he expects Vice President JD Vance -- "the 
architect of the deal" -- to present it.

   "I am somewhat concerned that Iran's view of the agreement seems different 
than what the American negotiating team is claiming," Graham said on social 
media.

   Trump makes calls to Putin, Zelenskyy ahead of G7

   Macron also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a working 
session with G7 leaders on Tuesday to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war.

   At the moment, Zelenskyy is not scheduled to hold one-on-one talks with 
Trump while they're both in France, but Trump on Sunday held separate phone 
calls with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

   Putin's call with Trump lasted just under an hour, according to Russian 
presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters afterward.

   On Ukraine, Ushakov said Trump emphasized the need to end hostilities and 
stated his readiness to influence European allies and Kyiv toward that goal, 
including at the G7.

   According to Ushakov, Trump also said that recent strikes on civilian 
targets in Russia complicate a settlement. The White House did not comment on 
the call.

   U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected 
to travel to Russia soon, Ushakov said.

   Zelenskyy said in a statement posted on Telegram that he told Trump about 
how Ukraine's position along the eastern front line has improved and 
strengthened.

   "We agreed to discuss more during our meeting at the G7 summit," he said.