G7 leaders will hold an extraordinary virtual meeting on Wednesday to address the Middle East crisis, as revealed by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron about the war in the region. According to a statement from the Canadian Prime Minister's Office, during their conversation, Carney "welcomed the President's call to convene G7 leaders tomorrow to discuss coordination and thanked him for his leadership as G7 President". Macron had previously indicated he might call a G7 leaders' summit amid the escalation in the Middle East, and on Tuesday, energy ministers, convened by France, which holds the group's presidency, met to address strategic oil reserves. In their conversation on Tuesday, Carney and Macron discussed "the escalation of the situation in the Middle East", condemned Iran's attacks "against civilians and civilian infrastructure", and stressed the need to avoid "a further regional escalation". The Canadian Prime Minister's Office stated in a release that "the leaders emphasized the importance of ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Prime Minister Carney highlighted Canada's support for efforts to safeguard international maritime transport and ensure freedom of navigation". The two leaders also discussed the impact of the conflict on the global economy, such as rising energy prices. Carney, who has recently increased his diplomatic contacts regarding the conflict in the Middle East, also spoke today with Haitham bin Tariq al Said, Sultan of Oman, a country that had facilitated negotiations between Washington and Tehran before the outbreak of hostilities.
