Saudi Arabia and Egypt to join G7 talks

Saudi Arabia and Egypt are to join a two-day meeting of the Group of Seven foreign ministers in Paris on Monday to explore options to de-escalate hostilities in the Middle East.

Iran has stepped up its attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as fears widen over a persisting deadlock between the US and Iran.

Speaking on his way to France, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio played down the chances of a deal to end the war that was one of the issues that led voters to turn against US President Donald Trump's Republican party in last week's midterm elections.

“I wouldn't say we're on the verge of a breakthrough,” Mr Rubio said. “Right now, it's not been very productive because Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable but in some cases outrageous, ridiculous and really not realistic.”

Show caption: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot will be hosting cou…

Mr Rubio will be attending a dinner in Paris on Monday night, hosted by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot for his counterparts from the UK, Germany, Canada, Japan and Italy. Saudi and Egyptian foreign ministers, Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Badr Abdelatty, will also be present.

Dinner talks

No agenda has been set to allow for discussions “to be as free as possible” in the minister-only meeting, French diplomats said. Brazil and South Korea have also been invited.

Saudi Arabia has received British and French military support, in addition to help from Makkah pact partners Turkey and Pakistan, as it faces Houthi attacks on its airports, ports and oil facilities. Egypt is viewed as an essential G7 partner on food security, which has been disrupted by Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Show caption: Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand with Mr Noel Barrot. R…

G7 foreign ministers will again meet their Middle East counterparts on Tuesday to discuss stability in Middle East. High on the agenda will be Iran's role in hampering naval passage in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab Al Mandeb strait, French diplomats said.

A French-British international initiative to secure the passage of vessels in Hormuz is ready to deploy once security conditions allow it, with more than a dozen ships in position, including from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Crises in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria are also set to be discussed during the Middle East session.

Show caption: Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman…

While European leverage in the Middle East crises remains relatively weak, the G7's European ministers will be eager to assess the impact of the midterm election results on US policy in Ukraine and the Middle East – and not merely on the war with Iran.

Lebanon vacuum

The US has been the biggest opponent of a French-Italian initiative to replace a five-decade old UN peacekeeping mission to south Lebanon, which is scheduled to withdraw at the end of the year.

G7 bilateral meetings are expected to offer the opportunity for European ministers to press their case that a dangerous security vacuum is taking shape in south Lebanon which is under Israeli occupation.

Paris believes Iran-backed group Hezbollah has been weakened by Israel's bombing campaigns but is currently rearming. US-brokered talks between Lebanon and Israel have failed to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

The G7 representatives will also be discussing the Ukraine war, in the presence of Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, ahead of Tuesday's Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Abu Dhabi. France, Germany, the UK and the European Commission will be sending senior officials as they hope to weigh in on the US-brokered discussions.

“The EU will be present alongside our partners,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement on X after speaking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “I reiterated my support for his call for a ceasefire covering food and energy infrastructure.”