G7 leaders are already looking beyond the U.S.-Iran deal, discussing energy routes that would reduce the world’s dependence on the Strait of Hormuz even as Washington says the waterway could reopen this week.
The new focus matters because it shifts the crisis from one immediate question — whether ships can safely return to Hormuz — to a longer-term strategic question: whether the world’s biggest economies now see the strait as too fragile to remain the central artery for Gulf oil and gas.
The Associated Press reported from the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, that leaders discussed alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz during talks on the Iran crisis. French Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux told AP that the discussions included how countries could depend less on the strait and what infrastructure might be financed or built to move oil and gas out of the Persian Gulf by other routes.
That is a significant expansion of the G7’s role. Earlier attention centered on reopening Hormuz, clearing mines, and restoring commercial confidence after months of war. Now, the summit is also treating the crisis as a warning about global energy architecture.
Why the bypass talk is a bigger signal
The Strait of Hormuz has long been one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints. Before the war, roughly a fifth of global crude moved through the channel, according to AP. When fighting and the U.S. naval blockade disrupted the route, the shock quickly spilled into oil prices, shipping insurance, inflation fears, and emergency planning across Asia and Europe.
Al Jazeera, citing AP and Reuters reporting, also said G7 leaders held a working lunch focused on a swift reopening of Hormuz and on identifying alternative energy routes that bypass the waterway. The outlet reported that French President Emmanuel Macron said the priority was a solid, serious, finalized agreement, while France and other Western partners stood ready to help reopen the strait peacefully.
That combination is the real story: the G7 still wants Hormuz reopened, but it is also talking as if reopening the strait is no longer enough. Even if the U.S.-Iran memorandum holds, the war has exposed how quickly a single chokepoint can become a global economic pressure point.
The Iran deal still has loose ends
President Donald Trump has said the Strait of Hormuz will be completely open by Friday, when the U.S.-Iran agreement is expected to be formally signed in Switzerland. But the details remain partly opaque, and AP reported that the deal centers on reopening Hormuz, lifting the U.S. naval blockade, and providing financial incentives to Iran if Tehran meets benchmarks.
There are still political risks. Iran says ending the wider war requires Israel to withdraw from territory it holds in Lebanon. Israel has rejected that position. U.S. lawmakers from both parties are demanding more information on the memorandum before they endorse it. Commercial shipowners and insurers may also wait for proof that mine-clearing, navigation, and security arrangements are working before they resume normal traffic.
The Guardian reported that Trump’s claims of a fully signed deal appeared premature, noting that the formal memorandum is still due for a Friday ceremony and that technical discussions led by Vice President JD Vance are expected to follow. The Guardian also highlighted continued loose ends over Lebanon, nuclear enforcement, and Iran’s claims about charging fees in the Hormuz waterway.
What to watch next
The immediate test is whether the Swiss signing happens and whether ships actually begin moving through the strait at scale. The bigger test is whether the G7’s bypass discussion turns into funded infrastructure, pipeline expansion, port upgrades, or coordinated contingency routes.
If it does, the Iran crisis may leave behind something larger than a ceasefire framework: a long-term push by major economies to make sure one narrow waterway cannot hold the global energy system hostage again.
Sources: Associated Press, Al Jazeera, The Guardian.