Trump presses Iran to talk but holds back on joint G-7 call
US President Donald Trump, seeking to shatter a decades-old US-led global economic order, has vowed sweeping tariffs on many parties. PHOTO: REUTERS
KANANASKIS - US President Donald Trump on June 16 warned Iran to make a deal as Israel pounds the country, but he held back on working with fellow Group of Seven (G-7) leaders to issue a joint call to encourage de-escalation.
Host Canada had designed the summit in the Rockies resort of Kananaskis to paper over differences within the bloc of major industrial democracies, as Mr Trump returns to the global stage in his norm-shattering second term.
But two days before the summit, Israel launched a surprise, massive military attack on Iran, which had been in negotiations with the Trump administration over the cleric-run state's contested nuclear program.
Mr Trump, who has praised Israel's strikes despite his stated preference for diplomacy, said Iran would be 'foolish' not to agree to a negotiated settlement.
'It's painful for both parties, but I'd say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately, before it's too late,' Mr Trump told reporters as he met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Israel has struck major nuclear and military sites and killed leading commanders and nuclear scientists in Iran, which has responded with its own volley of drones and missiles on Israel.
Canada and European leaders have looked to draft a statement on the crisis, but diplomats said that Mr Trump has not committed the United States to joining it.
'It'll be up to the American side to decide whether we're going to have a G-7 statement on the Middle East or not,' German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said.
Pressure on Iran
Any statement would be expected to put the onus on Iran and stop short of calling for an immediate ceasefire.
'We'll highlight the legitimate right of the state of Israel to defend itself and we will also discuss potential additional measures to reach a diplomatic solution,' German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that G-7 leaders share concern about Iran's nuclear program but also: 'I do think there's a consensus for de-escalation.'
Unusually, Japan – which has historic relations with Iran and limited domestic pressure related to the Middle East – has broken with its Western allies to condemn Israel's attack, calling it 'completely unacceptable and deeply regrettable'.
Iran, since Mr Trump pulled out of an earlier nuclear deal in 2018, has ramped up uranium enrichment but not yet at levels to create an atomic bomb.
Israel is widely known to have nuclear weapons but does not acknowledge them publicly.
Easing tensions with Trump
The summit at a wooded lodge under snow-topped mountains comes after months of tumult on the global stage since Mr Trump's return to office in January after the US presidential election in 2024 .
Mr Trump, seeking to shatter a decades-old US-led global economic order, has vowed sweeping tariffs on friends and foes alike, although he has postponed implementation until July 9.
But Mr Trump voiced optimism about a resolution with Canada and signed documents with Starmer to confirm an agreement with Britain, which he mistakenly called the European Union at one point.
Mr Trump opened a folder to display signed documents with Mr Starmer, only for the paperwork to slide out across the ground.
'Oops, sorry about that,' Mr Trump said, as Mr Starmer scrabbled to pick up the loose sheets.
Mr Trump has previously mocked host Canada, stating that the vast but less populated neighbour should become the 51st US state.
But Mr Trump has appeared to show more respect to Canada since Mr Carney, a staid former central banker, took over from the more flamboyant Justin Trudeau in March.
Mr Trump was 'very respectful' and spoke of 'how much he likes Canada,' said the country's ambassador to Washington, Ms Kirsten Hillman.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to join the G-7 talks on June 1 7 and to speak to Mr Trump, who had initially tried to force him into a deal with Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Mr Trump has since voiced frustration that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not accepted a US proposal for a ceasefire.
The US president has previously mused about readmitting Russia to the G-8, from which it was expelled in 2014 after invading and annexing Ukraine's region of Crimea, triggering a war which accelerated in 2022 with a full-scale Russian invasion.
Mr Trump said June 16 that Mr Putin was 'very insulted' by the G-8 expulsion and that if Russia were still a member, 'you wouldn't have a war right now'. AFP
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