Rubio, G7 diplomats duel over wars in Iran and Ukraine

Rocket trails are seen in the sky amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya on Friday.

Photo: AFP US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Group of Seven counterparts traded barbs over the wars in Iran and Ukraine, casting doubt on Europe bowing to Donald Trump’s demand for military help in the Gulf. “The United States is constantly being asked to help in a war,” Rubio said referring to Ukraine, before taking off for the Friday conclusion of a G7 gathering outside Paris. “But when the US had a need, he didn’t get positive responses,” he added.

The Europeans have rebuffed Trump’s bid for their navies to take part in opening the Strait of Hormuz, saying they would help once the missiles have stopped flying.

All the while, US bases in Europe have been critical to the war effort and some European bases have provided logistical support. “It is irritating, I have to say,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told Deutschlandfunk radio before a scheduled meeting with Rubio.

Germany has not received a clear ask from the US side. “At this point, the legal requirements for us for such an operation aren’t met.

And there is no specific request for us to take action at this time.” Nevertheless, French foreign ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux said planning is under way. “It would take place after the end of the bombing first,” he said. “To be only in a defensive situation.

We are preparing such a mission with all the willing partners.

But we have made very clear that this war is not our war and we don’t want to be entangled in it.” The G7 is a bloc consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The EU is also represented within the G7.

The US was considering sending as many as 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal reported, giving the US president more military options as leading US allies called for negotiations to end a conflict that is doing increasing damage to the global economy.

Ukraine remains Europe’s primary concern, with its leaders trying to isolate Russia by connecting the two wars.

The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said on Thursday that Russia was providing Iran with intelligence to target and kill Americans, something her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov denied on French television. “Drones provided to Russia by Iran that have been involved in the conflict by Ukraine, but we have also seen support from Russia

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