G7 backs Iran deal as Hormuz reopens to shipping

G7 leaders during the summit in France on Wednesday, June 16. [PCS]

The Group of Seven (G7) has welcomed an agreement between the United States and Iran that clears the way for ships to return to the Strait of Hormuz, the corridor through which a fifth of the world's oil passes.

Leaders meeting at their summit in Evian, France, on Wednesday said the deal, brokered under President Donald Trump with support from mediating countries, offers a chance to stop Iran building a nuclear weapon while ending a standoff that had choked off the shipping route as part of a wider US-Israeli war against Iran.

"We strongly support a robust and comprehensive diplomatic follow-on agreement," the G7 said in its joint statement, referring to a Memorandum of Understanding Trump had earlier secured with Tehran.

Leaders added that any further talks should ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.

A multinational naval mission led by France and the United Kingdom will help clear mines and protect merchant vessels as traffic resumes, according to the statement.

 More than 40 nations have already pledged support for the mission, which includes a British warship pre-positioned in the region.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to take part in follow-up negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme.

The G7 also moved to tighten sanctions on Russia's oil and gas sectors, citing the reopened Hormuz route as the right moment for fresh pressure on Moscow's war economy.

Leaders pledged more air defence systems and long-range weapons for Ukraine, along with support to get the country through the coming winter.

In Lebanon, the bloc backed an immediate ceasefire to disarm Hezbollah.

In Gaza, leaders called for faster humanitarian and reconstruction efforts and an end to violence in the West Bank.

The statement also flagged concern over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes and reaffirmed opposition to any forced change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas.

Disruption at the Strait of Hormuz has weighed on oil markets in recent months, with knock-on effects for fuel-importing economies including Kenya, where pump prices track global crude costs closely.