Trump joins G7 in France as Iran war and trade tensions dominate

G7 leaders gathered in the French resort town of Evian-les-Bains on Monday for a summit expected to be dominated by the escalating war against Iran and transatlantic trade tensions, pushing French President Emmanuel Macron's carefully prepared economic agenda to the sidelines. The meeting marks the first full G7 summit attended by US President Donald Trump since his return to the White House in January 2025, although he departed early from last year's gathering in Canada as the Israel-Iran conflict escalated. Alongside the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, top EU officials and invited partners including India, Brazil, South Korea and Ukraine are participating in the discussions.

John Kirton, director of the G7 Research Group at the University of Toronto, said the conflict involving Iran has rapidly emerged as the most pressing challenge facing the group. "Two issues, the first is the relatively new one from the global security front, President Trump's war against Iran," Kirton told Anadolu Agency. He added that no one anticipated the conflict would persist so long or cause such widespread economic damage.

Divisions emerge over Iran strategy

While G7 leaders broadly agree that Iran should not acquire a nuclear weapon, the conflict has exposed significant differences over how far allies should support Washington's military approach, according to Kirton. "There was a division, not just in the team Europe against the United States, but within Europe, about which European G7 members would let the United States military use its military bases for the US war against Iran," he said. Leaders share a common interest in preserving freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global energy supplies.

Ukraine is also expected to remain high on the agenda as European leaders continue to view support for Kyiv as a central priority alongside discussions on sanctions and defense spending. Rising tensions with China and disputes over global trade are also expected to feature prominently throughout the three-day gathering.

Macron pushes economic focus

Despite the security crises dominating headlines, Macron has repeatedly argued that the long-term challenge facing the global economy is growing fragmentation and persistent imbalances driven largely by China's trade surplus. "I think Macron will be able to, with his G7 leaders, absorb it, handle that issue (US-Iran war) and then deliver his longstanding initial priority of tackling global economic imbalances driven by China's massive trade surplus with Europe in particular, but the rest of the world as a whole," Kirton said.

The US has pushed allies toward tougher economic measures against Beijing, while several European governments continue to favour reducing strategic dependencies rather than pursuing outright economic decoupling. "We may see some progress, not only G7 unity, but also it working with getting Xi Jinping to move to solve the problem at home before the EU and G7 have to do it themselves at their own borders with a tough love approach," Kirton said.

Trump factor and transatlantic ties

Trump's participation is expected to shape both the atmosphere and substance of the gathering, though Macron may be better positioned than most to manage those tensions. The French president hosted Trump during the 2019 G7 summit in Biarritz and is widely regarded as one of the European leaders most comfortable dealing with him. "Indeed, he can certainly play the role of a mediator," Kirton said. "He's highly experienced. It's his 10th G7 Summit. Secondly, it's the second one he designed and hosted. He did that at Biarritz in 2019 and Donald Trump was there, and President Macron designed a whole new format and formula to cope with Donald Trump, and it worked."

Macron knows he has to make Trump the center of attention to ensure the summit's success, Kirton added. After the G7 concludes, Macron is set to host Trump for a private dinner at the Palace of Versailles to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence.

AI governance and climate concerns

France is also seeking progress on artificial intelligence and online safety, with executives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind and Mistral AI expected to participate in discussions on the sidelines. The talks will focus on AI governance, digital infrastructure and the protection of minors online, building on last year's AI Action Summit hosted by Paris.

While wars and trade disputes are likely to dominate headlines, Kirton argues that climate change remains the most important challenge facing the international community. "The biggest problem facing the G7 and the world today is climate change," he said. Leaders are expected to endorse previously agreed commitments and could announce additional measures related to environmental protection.