US President Donald Trump on Monday arrived to attend a G7 summit in France, with allies hoping his outline deal with Iran translates into a swift reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Air Force One carrying Trump touched down at the airport in the Swiss city of Geneva, from where Trump was to transfer to the nearby French spa resort of Evian for the summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Flush from celebrating his 80th birthday by watching MMA cage fighting at the White House the previous night, Trump had proclaimed “let the oil flow” after announcing the framework Iran deal — a “memorandum of understanding” — had been clinched.
But allies will have a list of questions for the US leader, notably on whether Iran plans to charge ships for transiting the Strait.
Macron faces a delicate balancing act in hosting the often unpredictable US leader. The New York Post newspaper reported that Trump is threatening to slap a 100-percent tariff on French wine and champagne unless Paris removes a digital services tax.
Iran will be far from the only explosive issue at the three-day meeting, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky due to attend from Tuesday to press for progress in ending Russia’s war on his country.
Ukraine on Monday blamed Russia for a missile barrage that killed at least 11 people and sparked a fire at a landmark Kyiv cathedral.
