Trump heads to G7 summit with Iran deal hanging in balance

President Donald Trump is flying to France for the annual G7 summit this week with a potential Iran peace deal unresolved, strained alliances with European partners and a looming showdown over artificial intelligence regulation all crowding the agenda at once.

The three-day conference will start on Monday in Évian-les-Bains, situated in eastern France near the Swiss border. President Trump stated on Saturday that there will be an agreement for putting an end to the war with Iran, which began in February, and then the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

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However, according to the Iranian state media, the date set by Trump is false, and, up to Friday, a high-level representative of the Trump administration has noted that, while the agreement is about to happen, it is not "100%" guaranteed yet.

Beyond Iran, artificial intelligence is expected to generate the most friction among the seven member nations. Europe wants tighter regulation of AI companies on energy and environmental grounds, while the Trump administration has resisted aggressive oversight of the sector.

The leader discussions will involve OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, whose company has been courted by Macron, who has been seeking support from the technology sector.

Center for Strategic and International Studies President of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department Victor Cha said there would be "real fireworks on AI", saying that the discussions would be frank and fiery.

Other topics under discussion include the G7 countries along with the EU taking up the Russian-Ukrainian war and matters relating to cybersecurity and organised crime.