Rubio pushes postwar plan for Strait of Hormuz after meeting G7 allies
skeptical about Iran strategy
[March 28, 2026]
By MATTHEW LEE and SAMUEL PETREQUIN
VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France (AP) — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven
countries showed divisions with the United States over the Iran war but
agreed Friday during a meeting in France to call for an immediate halt
to attacks against civilians and urge the reopening of the Strait of
Hormuz to international shipping.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined his G7 counterparts a day
after President Donald Trump lobbed his latest round of insults at other
NATO countries, making it even more difficult for America's top diplomat
to try to sell the U.S. strategy for the Iran conflict to close allies.
Trump has repeatedly complained that allies have ignored or rejected
requests for help confronting Tehran’s retaliation, including its
chokehold on the waterway that has disrupted oil shipments and pushed up
energy prices.
Rubio struck a softer tone, saying the U.S. would seek international
cooperation on a plan to keep the strait open after hostilities end.
Trump, as part of an evolving rhetorical approach, warned as recently as
last week that the U.S. would “obliterate” Iran's power plants if the
waterway were not reopened within 48 hours, though he has extended that
deadline until April 6.
Rubio emerged from discussions with fellow diplomats with a longer-term
message about the conclusion of the war, when he said the U.S. and
allies will face a challenge in keeping the strait open. He cautioned
that Iran may seek to set up a toll on the waterway — where 20% of the
world’s oil typically passes — an act that he said could cause
significant economic damage to many nations around the globe.
“Not only is this illegal, it’s unacceptable. It’s dangerous to the
world,” Rubio told reporters of the possibility that Iran would seek to
restrict traffic through the strait. “And it’s important that the world
have a plan.”
France says the Iran war ‘is not ours’ as allies call for diplomacy
Most of America’s closest allies have greeted the Iran war with deep
skepticism, which was on display as the G7 foreign ministers gathered at
a historic 12th century abbey in Vaux-de-Cernay, outside Paris, even as
they urged a diplomatic solution. Four weeks into the war that the U.S.
and Israel launched, the allies face concerns about instability in the
oil markets and uncertainty over potential negotiations to end the
crisis.
Several EU countries, now grappling with economic consequences of the
war, have said they were not consulted by the U.S. before it launched
its military actions in Iran. French Minister of the Armed Forces
Catherine Vautrin said Friday that the war “is not ours,” adding that
France's position is strictly defensive.
“The aim is truly this diplomatic approach, which is the only one that
can guarantee a return to peace,” she said on Europe 1 and CNews.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Britain also favored a
diplomatic path, acknowledging differences with the United States.
“We have taken the approach of supporting defensive action, but also
we’ve taken a different approach on the offensive action that has taken
place as part of this conflict,” she said.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he made “our position
clear, namely that there is certainly a readiness on Germany’s part to
play a role after the end of hostilities when it comes to ensuring the
security of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
He said his interest is “to broaden what we have as a common basis”
regarding the conflict in the Middle East.
Rubio seemed to play down the potential for a widening conflict, saying
the U.S. was capable of achieving its objectives without ground troops.
[to top of second column]
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives to attend talks during a
G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting with Partner Countries at the Vaux-de-Cernay
Abbey in Cernay-la-Ville outside Paris, Friday, March 27, 2026.
(Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP)
G7 diplomats agree to call for halt to attacks on civilians
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said after the meeting that
the group adopted a declaration calling for the “immediate
cessation” of attacks against civilian populations and
infrastructure during the Iran war.
“Nothing justifies deliberately targeting civilians during armed
conflicts, nor carrying out attacks against diplomatic facilities,”
Barrot told reporters, saying the declaration "also reaffirms the
absolute necessity of permanently restoring free and safe navigation
in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Echoing Wadephul's comments, Barrot said that once U.S. military
objectives have been achieved, escort missions could “provide the
necessary security so that ship traffic can resume as quickly as
possible.”
“You can clearly see that with each passing day, the situation is
worsening due to the lack of ship traffic from the Persian Gulf to
the rest of the world,” he said.
Barrot added that Rubio, like others in the discussions, “wants that
once the United States’ military objectives have been achieved,
maritime security and freedom of navigation can be ensured in the
Strait of Hormuz, as in all international waters around the world.”
Trump's criticism of NATO allies makes Iran war a harder sell for
Rubio
Trump has complained that other NATO countries were not stepping up
to help against Iran.
“We are very disappointed with NATO because NATO has done absolutely
nothing,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting Thursday.
Of the G7 nations — besides the U.S. — Britain, Canada, France,
Germany and Italy are members of the trans-Atlantic military
alliance. Japan is the only one that is not.
“We’re there to protect NATO, to protect them from Russia. But
they’re not there to protect us,” Trump added.
Rubio, however, said the U.S. is “not asking for anybody to join the
war” against Iran but that the countries most affected by the
closure of the Strait of Hormuz “should be willing to do something
about it, and we’ll help them” after the conflict ends.
Europeans concerned about Iran war's impact on Ukraine
Russia's war in Ukraine also was a major topic at the G7 meeting,
with U.S.-brokered talks persisting but making no breakthroughs and
allies concerned that the new conflict in the Middle East will
divert U.S. attention from a commitment to Ukraine.
Wadephul, the German foreign minister, said he made clear at the
meeting that “there must be no cuts when it comes to maintaining
Ukraine’s defense capability.”
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Rubio said that while no
U.S. weapons have been pulled from sales bound for Ukraine to go to
the Middle East instead, it could happen if deemed necessary.
___
Petrequin reported from Paris. Associated Press writers Lorne Cook
in Brussels, John Leicester in Paris and Geir Moulson in Berlin
contributed to this report.
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