Trump Brings Iran Deal to G7 Amid Verification Gaps
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Trump announced an agreement to end the U.S. war with Iran just before departing for the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, claiming the U.S. would end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which had carried roughly 20% of the world's crude oil before the roughly 15-week conflict
- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran's closure of the strait would continue until the agreement is officially signed, and neither the White House nor Iran published the final agreement or revealed many details
- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country served as mediator, said 'pre-implementation discussions' this week will lay the groundwork for 60 days of technical talks on Iran's nuclear program
- Trump has not detailed who will verify Iran's compliance or address 972 pounds (441 kilograms) of highly enriched uranium believed buried under nuclear sites that were badly damaged by U.S. strikes last summer
- Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the deal amounts to 'America going alone or going with Israel only,' contrasting it with the 2015 JCPOA that included European, Russian, and Chinese signatories; Sen. Lindsey Graham said Congress will need to review and vote on any nuclear deal
- Trump held separate phone calls with Putin (lasting just under an hour per Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov) and Zelenskyy ahead of the G7, where Macron has invited Zelenskyy to a Tuesday working session; U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Russia soon
Why it matters: The political boost for Trump is real, but the deal's gaps carry material weight: 972 pounds of enriched uranium sit under damaged nuclear sites with no stated disposal plan, Iran and the U.S. publicly differ on whether the Strait of Hormuz is open, and bipartisan senators say Congress must vote on any nuclear deal before it advances. The 60-day technical timeline means energy markets and commercial tanker traffic won't see relief quickly.
