US Vice President Vance offers to meet Iran’s Rezaei for talks, report says

The Iran conflict and its consequences for global energy, shipping, and commerce are drawing considerable attention to a G20 gathering in Atlanta, where representatives from the world's leading powers are convening. Hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the US aims to steer the group back to its principal objective of fostering economic expansion.

However, disagreements over Russia's Ukraine war, China's economic strategies, and South Africa's exclusion risk eclipsing the two-day event, commencing on Friday in Georgia's southern region of the United States.

The US has excluded South Africa due to policy conflicts, including Pretoria's legal actions against Israel. Conversely, Russia has been invited without Ukraine, as President Donald Trump strengthens his alignment with Moscow. European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas intends to champion partners at the G20 and an EU-Canada summit to bolster support for Ukraine, stressing the necessity for Russia to face accountability following the lethal assault on a Ukrainian train station that claimed 14 lives. The attack underscores Moscow's disinterest in peace.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's attendance further amplifies tensions. In a recent bid to mitigate high fuel prices prior to the midterm elections, President Trump issued waivers permitting Russia to export diesel, a move met with significant criticism from those arguing Moscow would likely reinvest the earnings into its Ukrainian war efforts or deepen ties with Iran.

Lavrov, under sanctions for Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, joins a list of sanctioned Kremlin officials who have visited the US. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, also sanctioned, attended a G20 meeting in North Carolina in September and held private talks with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

The State Department anticipates G20 deliberations to center on global economic shocks' causes, encompassing threats to navigation freedom, energy, food security, and supply chains. The discussions in Atlanta will offer a platform to examine energy and supply chain matters, along with devising strategies to collectively tackle the effect of geopolitical tensions on economic resilience.

Energy is crucial for worldwide economic growth; shared prosperity hinges on accessible, affordable, and abundant energy. The UAE is reportedly unlikely to participate but is invited to a G20 leaders meeting in Miami in December. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan is slated to attend the Atlanta event. French diplomatic sources suggested no unified declaration would emerge from the Atlanta meeting, reflecting the discrepancies among members.

Nonetheless, the agenda highlights how Washington seeks to isolate geopolitical tensions from the economic priorities it seeks leaders to tackle. The administration is emphasizing deregulation, economic growth, energy security, and technological innovation. The US may publish a summary of the discussions, termed chair’s conclusions, although the degree to which it encapsulates the varying perspectives of participants remains uncertain.

Turkey is expected to call for dialogue between Washington and Tehran to resolve their dispute, warning that ongoing hostilities exacerbate regional vulnerabilities, according to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also plans to stress the impact of attacks on ships and energy infrastructure in the Gulf.

France intends to leverage the meeting to advocate greater cooperation on maritime security, including in Hormuz and Bab Al Mandeb, as well as discuss energy diversification and the transition away from fossil fuels to lessen countries' susceptibility to supply disruptions—a proposition that may not resonate with the Trump administration, which favors augmenting drilling initiatives.

The Atlanta meeting marks the final ministerial gathering under Washington's G20 presidency before leaders convene in Miami on December 14 and 15. President Vladimir Putin's attendance at the Miami summit remains undecided.