G7 leaders on Wednesday hailed the US-Iran deal to end the Middle East war as a “historic opportunity” and hosted AI bosses for an unusual meeting to discuss greater protection for children online.
The three-day meeting of the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States has focused intensely on US President Donald Trump’s deal to end the war with Iran and efforts to pressure Russia into brokering peace with Ukraine.
France, whose President Emmanuel Macron is chairing the G7, published a communique overnight that said all the leaders had agreed on key geopolitical issues.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said this was the first such joint statement agreed during Trump’s second mandate. “It was tough work but worth it,” he said, describing the statement as a “success”.
Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran, to be signed in Switzerland on Friday, “provides an historic opportunity to prevent Iran from acquiring any nuclear weapon and tackling the threats related to its regional and ballistic activities”, it said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking before the third day got underway, said the mooted deal “could be a game-changer”.