G7 leaders urge de-escalation in Israel-Iran conflict, but Donald Trump refuses to sign statement

Group of Seven leaders have a draft joint statement calling for deescalation of the Israel-Iran conflict, according to two sources and a draft seen by Reuters.

US President Donald Trump has not signed off on the draft however, Reuters reported citing sources as saying. The draft commits to safeguarding market stability, including energy markets, and says Israel has the right to defend itself.

Trump urged immediate dialogue between Israel and Iran amid fears the conflict could spiral into a broader regional war.

“They should talk and they should talk immediately,” Trump told reporters, referring to the two nations’ standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed the concern, warning of global repercussions if tensions escalate.

“The risk of the conflict escalating is obvious, I think, and the implications — not just for the region but globally — are really immense,” Starmer said. He confirmed he had already discussed the matter with Trump and emphasized that all G7 members agreed on the need to “de-escalate the situation.”

Germany to draft joint statement on Iran

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his government will prepare a communique stressing that “Iran must under no circumstances be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons-capable material.”

The statement, if adopted, would be the only coordinated declaration expected from the summit, as leaders remain divided on several fronts, including trade and climate policy.

Trump suggests expanding G7

While the Israel-Iran conflict dominated early discussions, Trump also revisited a long-held grievance — Russia’s 2014 expulsion from the group after its annexation of Crimea — saying, “It was a mistake to remove Russia.” He also floated the idea of adding China to the bloc.

“The G7 used to be the G8. Barack Obama and a person named Trudeau didn’t want to have Russia in,” Trump said, incorrectly attributing Russia’s ousting to current Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was elected a year later. “I think you wouldn’t have a war right now if you had Russia in, and you wouldn’t have a war right now if Trump were president four years ago.”

Putin should be ‘at the table’

Trump suggested that having Russian President Vladimir Putin involved in global discussions could have prevented the current conflict in Ukraine.

“Putin speaks to me. He doesn’t speak to anybody else,” Trump said. “He doesn’t want to talk because he was very insulted when he got thrown out of the G8, as I would be, as you would be, as anybody would be.”

When asked whether China should be part of the G7 as well, Trump replied, “It’s not a bad idea. I don’t mind that if somebody wants to see just China coming in.”