Representatives of the Group of Seven wealthiest democracies are gathering in France, where U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to try to shore up support among reticent allies for the Trump administration's war on Iran.
The meeting comes after President Trump on Thursday announced a new deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, or face destruction of its power plants, saying he was giving them until April 6.
Rubio's Europe trip also comes a day after Trump again slammed NATO — which includes most of the G7 — for not coming to the aid of the U.S. when he asked for help reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital economic waterway largely blocked by Iran since the start of the conflict.
European countries have said they were not informed of Trump's Iran plans beforehand and have no interest in entering what could be a protracted war. Germany's defense minister was blunt in his assessment this week, saying Washington had "no exit strategy."
Here are more updates on Day 28 of the Iran war.
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G7 meeting | Zelensky in Middle East | Attacks continue | Global economy
Iran to dominate G7 meeting
Foreign ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and the European Union are meeting in France.
The meeting is meant to shrink the growing chasm that has opened up between the Trump administration and some of the U.S.' main Western allies. Rubio has said countries should "step up" to help deal with the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
"Very little of our energy comes through the Strait of Hormuz. It's the world that has a great interest in that, so they should step up and deal with it," he told reporters before heading to Europe.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union's foreign policy chief, said on the eve of the meeting that "With our G7 partners, we'll discuss how to drive de-escalation in the Middle East, as the war's consequences are felt severely worldwide."
Zelenskyy in the Middle East
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise trip to Saudi Arabia, having said Ukraine's expertise with drone technology could help Gulf countries with their security.
"Important meetings are scheduled. We appreciate the support of those who are ready to work with us to ensure security, and we support them too," he said on social media.
Previously the Ukrainian leader posted a video message saying: "The key is not only producing new weapons — especially drones — not just technology, but also real experience in using it, and integrating it with radars, aviation, and other air defense systems. We have this experience."
In an interview with French newspaper Le Monde published Thursday, he said he would be seeking assistance for Ukraine's war in exchange.
"We would like Middle Eastern states to also give us an opportunity to strengthen ourselves. They have certain air defense missiles of which we don't have enough. That's what we'd like to reach a deal on," he said.
Attacks continue on all fronts
Despite what Trump said are promising negotiations with Iran, with Pakistan acting as go-between, strikes continued in the Middle East into Friday.
The Israeli military said overnight it struck ballistic missile production sites and air defense systems across Iran.
"In strikes carried out across Tehran, the IDF targeted infrastructure and sites used by the regime to produce weapons, with an emphasis on ballistic missile production facilities," Israel's military said in a statement, using its initials.
"In western Iran, the Air Force, guided by Military Intelligence, struck the Iranian terror regime's fire arrays throughout the night. Among the targets struck were launchers and missile storage sites that pose a threat to the State of Israel," it said.
In Lebanon, the Israeli army issued another forced evacuation order as it pushes north in the fight against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Israel was also under attack Friday, reporting a salvo of missiles from Iran.
And the Gulf states continued to suffer collateral damage. On Thursday night, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had struck at U.S. bases in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait in the Gulf using missiles and drones.
Kuwait reported its port was attacked by drones, while sirens sounded in Bahrain and Qatar briefly issued a heightened security alert.
Global economy is getting hit
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The war and Iran's virtual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — through which one-fifth of the world's oil typically passes — have economists worried.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) expects the war to boost consumer prices globally and slow economic growth in the United States, the United Kingdom and other advanced economies.
The Paris-based organization raised its forecast for global inflation to 4% this year. In the U.S., it predicts 4.2% inflation.
"The halt in shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and the closure and damage of some energy infrastructure has generated a surge in energy prices and disrupted the global supply of energy and other important commodities, such as fertilisers," the OECD said Thursday. That drives up the cost of commerce and increases demand and inflation, it said.
The OECD cut the U.K.'s 2026 gross domestic product growth forecast to 0.7% — down by half a percentage point from the previous forecast of 1.2%.
On Thursday, stocks on Wall Street suffered their largest daily decline since the war began, falling as oil prices rose sharply. Asian shares mostly fell early Friday.
Asian countries, which get most of their oil and gas through the waterway, have been making contingency plans. Japan plans to temporarily lift restrictions on coal-fired power plants, according to the Japan Times. Vietnam has temporarily waived an environmental tax to reduce gas prices by more than a quarter, as Channel News Asia reported.
The Philippines has declared a national energy emergency and transportation workers have been staging protests.
Finland's president, Alexander Stubb, warned in an interview with Politico this week that the Iran war could trigger a global recession that is worse for the economy than the coronavirus pandemic.
Eleanor Beardsley in Paris, Emily Feng in Van, Turkey, Michael Sullivan in Chiang Rai, Thailand, Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg and Alex Leff in Washington contributed to this report.
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