G7 summit European leaders to press Trump on peace plan for region

European leaders gathering for a G7 summit with Donald Trump in the Canadian Rockies plan to spend the opening day asking him to justify his confidence that Israel and Iran will make a deal that will mean peace soon.

- Patrick Wintour

As the military exchanges worsen and the death toll mounts on both sides, European leaders are intending to pin the US president down on his Iran strategy, including getting a definitive response on whether he will use his influence over Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call for a ceasefire or instead let the war run its course.

Trump's largely unsubstantiated remarks about "peace soon" suggest he believes a ceasefire is imminent.

This would allow the rescheduling of US-Iranian talks on its civil nuclear programme that had been set for yesterday but were cancelled after Israel launched its assault on Thursday night.

The Israel-Iran hostilities - and their potential to upend the world economy - have usurped the G7 summit agenda, which had been set to be dominated by disputes over the war in Ukraine and US tariffs. In a bid to avoid public conflict, Canada, the summit host, has dropped the idea of a joint communique, and wants the seven leaders to focus on critical minerals, supply lines, artificial intelligence, China and energy security.