Representatives of the world's wealthiest democracies gather in France today for a G7 meeting, where U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to try to shore up support among reticent allies for the Trump administration's war on Iran.
The meeting comes after President Trump on Thursday announced a new deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, or face destruction of its power plants, saying he was giving them until April 6.
"Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well," Trump said.
Rubio's Europe trip also comes a day after Trump again slammed NATO for not coming to the aid of the U.S. when he asked for help reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital economic waterway practically blocked by Iran since the start of the conflict.
Trump warned the transatlantic military alliance that the U.S. would "never forget" they hadn't come to its aid, not, he said, that the U.S. really needed them anyway.
European countries have said they were not informed of Trump's Iran plans beforehand and have no interest in entering what could be a protracted war. Germany's defense minister was blunt in his assessment this week, saying Washington had "no exit strategy."
Here are more updates on Day 28 of the Iran war.
To jump to specific areas of coverage, use the links below:
G7 meeting | Zelensky in Middle East | Attacks continue | Global economy
Iran to dominate G7 meet
Foreign ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and the European Union will be meeting in France.
The meeting is meant to shrink the growing chasm that has opened up between the Trump administration and some of the U.S.' main Western allies. Rubio has said countries should "step up" to help deal with the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
"Very little of our energy comes through the Strait of Hormuz. It's the world that has a great interest in that, so they should step up and deal with it," he told reporters before heading to Europe.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union's foreign policy chief, said on the eve of the meeting that "With our G7 partners, we'll discuss how to drive de-escalation in the Middle East, as the war's consequences are felt severely worldwide."
She added that "at the same time, we can't overlook Ukraine," noting that the two wars are linked.
The U.S. has left Europe to deal with Russia's aggressive war in Ukraine, and even cut them out of peace talks. Meanwhile, Russia launched more than a thousand drones at Ukraine Tuesday, according to Ukrainian officials, one of its largest attacks of the war.
Zelenskyy in Middle East
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
made a surprise trip to Saudi Arabia, having said Ukraine's expertise with drone technology could help Gulf countries with their security.
"Important meetings are scheduled. We appreciate the support of those who are ready to work with us to ensure security, and we support them too," he said on X.
Previously the Ukrainian leader posted a video message saying: "The key is not only producing new weapons - especially drones - not just technology, but also real experience in using it, and integrating it with radars, aviation, and other air defence systems. We have this experience."
In an interview with French newspaper Le Monde, he added that he'd be seeking assistance for Ukraine's war in exchange.
"We would like Middle Eastern states to also give us an opportunity to strengthen ourselves. They have certain air defence missiles of which we don't have enough. That's what we'd like to reach a deal on," he said.
Attacks continue on all fronts
Despite what Trump said are promising negotiations with Iran, with Pakistan acting as go-between, strikes continued in the Middle East into Friday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced they had struck ballistic missile production sites and air defense systems across Iran.
"In strikes carried out across Tehran, the IDF targeted infrastructure and sites used by the regime to produce weapons, with an emphasis on ballistic missile production facilities," it said on X.
"In western Iran, the Air Force, guided by Military Intelligence, struck the Iranian terror regime's fire arrays throughout the night. Among the targets struck were launchers and missile storage sites that pose a threat to the State of Israel," the post continued.
In Lebanon, the Israeli army issued another forced evacuation order as they push north in the fight against the militant group Hezbollah.
But Israel was also under attack Friday, reporting a salvo of missiles from Iran.
And the Gulf states continued to suffer collateral damage. On Thursday night, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had struck at U.S. bases in the UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait, in the Gulf using missiles and drones.
Kuwait reported its port was attacked by drones, while sirens sounded in Bahrain and Qatar briefly issued a heightened security alert.
Global economy hit hard
The war and Iran's virtual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz – through which one-fifth of the world's oil passes – have economists very worried.
On Thursday, stocks on Wall Street suffered their largest daily decline since the war began, falling as oil prices rose sharply. Asian shares mostly fell early Friday.
Asian countries, which get most of their oil and gas through the waterway, have been making contingency plans. Local media reports Japan plans to temporarily lift restrictions on coal-fired power plants, while Vietnam has temporarily waived an environmental tax on fuel to cut petrol prices by a quarter.
The Philippines has declared a national energy emergency and transport workers have been staging protests.
Finland's President Alexander Stubb warned in an interview with Politico this week that the Iran war could trigger a global recession that is worse for the economy than the coronavirus pandemic.
Eleanor Beardsley in Paris, Emily Feng in Van, Turkey, Michael Sullivan in Chiang Rai, Thailand, and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 NPR
