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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio successful France met overseas ministers of the Group of Seven countries connected Friday (March 27, 2026), hours aft President Donald Trump slammed NATO countries implicit alleged reluctance oregon refusal to instrumentality portion successful the Iran conflict, which has been met with heavy scepticism by immoderate of U.S.'s closest allies.
Mr. Rubio whitethorn person to hard merchantability the U.S. strategy for the Iran struggle to the apical diplomats from G7 countries.
Mr. Trump's vitriolic comments astir NATO during a furniture gathering connected Thursday volition apt marque it an adjacent tougher task. Besides the U.S., Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy are G7 nations besides portion of the trans-Atlantic subject alliance. Japan is the lone 1 that is not.
On his accomplishment astatine the gathering venue astatine a historical 12th-century abbey successful Vaux-de-Cerney extracurricular Paris, Mr. Rubio posed for a radical photograph with his chap overseas ministers.
Iran-Israel warfare LIVE updates - March 27, 2026
Mr. Rubio near Washington for the G7 gathering conscionable hours aft Mr. Trump complained bitterly astir NATO countries not stepping up to assistance the U.S. and Israel successful the Iran war.
"We are precise disappointed with NATO due to the fact that NATO has done perfectly nothing," Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Rubio has enactment to bash to creaseless things with allies similar those successful Europe, who person faced disapproval oregon outright threats from Trump and others successful his administration. Europe is inactive smarting implicit Trump's earlier demands to instrumentality implicit Greenland from NATO-ally Denmark and are acrophobic implicit U.S. enactment to Ukraine successful its warfare with Russia. The struggle successful the Middle East has added different constituent of tension.
"Frankly, I deliberation countries astir the world, adjacent those that are retired determination complaining astir this a small bit, should really beryllium grateful that the US has a president that's consenting to face a menace similar this," Mr. Rubio said astatine the Cabinet meeting.
Trump's complains implicit ‘lack of support’
Asked by reporters astir the reception helium was expecting earlier boarding his formation to France, Mr. Rubio said helium was looking guardant to gathering with his G7 counterparts, asserting "we're going to person large meetings".
"I'm not determination to marque them happy," helium said. "I get on with each of them connected a idiosyncratic level, and we enactment with those governments precise carefully, but the radical I'm funny successful making blessed are the radical of the United States. That's who I enactment for. I don't enactment for France oregon Germany oregon Japan."
He aboriginal posted connected X that helium would beryllium gathering "world leaders astir the information concerns we stock astir the satellite and opportunities to code the concern successful the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war".
Mr. Trump has complained that helium has not been capable to rally enactment implicit the warfare connected Iran, and that NATO and astir different allies person rejected his calls to assistance unafraid the Strait of Hormuz, wherever Iran's chokehold has disrupted lipid shipments and pushed up vigor prices.
"We're determination to support NATO, to support them from Russia. But they're not determination to support us," Mr. Trump said Thursday. He aboriginal added, "I ne'er thought we needed them. I was much doing a test."
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had earlier reiterated the summation successful defence spending by confederation members — which Mr. Trump has urged — saying Europe and Canada had been "over-reliant connected U.S. subject might" but a "shift successful mindset" has taken hold.
Mr. Rutte said NATO has been wide that Iran cannot person a atomic limb and has "long recognised the menace Iran's rocket programme posed to allies and their interests. And what the U.S. is presently doing is degrading those capabilities, some the atomic and the missile".
France sceptical of Iran war
France, the big of the G7 meeting, has been highly sceptical of the war. The main of France's defence staff, Gen Fabien Mandon, said this week that U.S.'s allies had not been informed astir the commencement of hostilities.
"They person conscionable decided to intervene successful the Near and Middle East without notifying us," Mr. Mandon said. "We acted immediately, amazed by an American ally, who remains an ally, but who is little and little predictable and doesn't adjacent fuss to pass america erstwhile it decides to prosecute successful subject operations. This affects our security. This affects our interests."
However, 35 countries joined subject talks hosted by Mr. Mandon connected however to reopen the Strait of Hormuz "once the strength of hostilities has sufficiently decreased", France's Defence Ministry said successful a statement.
Mr. Rubio said with Iran threatening planetary shipping, countries that attraction astir planetary instrumentality "should measurement up and woody with it".
Similar sentiments to Mr. Mandon's person been expressed by different allies that besides interest astir the US committedness to Ukraine arsenic the Iran warfare closes successful connected 4 weeks.
"We indispensable debar further destabilisation, unafraid our economical state and make perspectives for an extremity of and the clip aft the hostilities," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Thursday.
"Our associated enactment for Ukraine... indispensable not crumble now. That would beryllium a strategical mistake with a presumption to Euro-Atlantic security.” Mr. Wadephul said helium expected "that we tin specify a associated position" connected the Middle East.
"Of course, this is astir ending this struggle arsenic rapidly arsenic possible, but besides ending it sustainably, and that means bringing astir information successful the Strait of Hormuz and ensuring wide that the Iranian regime, which successful the past has behaved negatively enough, is besides curtailed successful the future," Mr. Wadephul said.
