By John Irish and Andrew Gray

VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France, March 26 (Reuters) - European powers on Thursday accused Russia of helping Iran target U.S. forces in the Middle East war and said they would raise the issue with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in France.

Rubio is joining the second day of the gathering of ministers of leading Western democracies, taking place amid wars in Iran and Ukraine, economic uncertainty and mounting unease over unpredictable U.S. foreign policy under Donald Trump.

By David Jeans

NEW YORK, March 26 (Reuters) - The United States has deployed uncrewed drone speedboats for patrols as part of its operations against Iran, the Pentagon said, the first time Washington has confirmed using such vessels in an active conflict.

The deployment of the vessels -- which can be used for surveillance or kamikaze strikes --has not been previously reported. It comes despite a series of setbacks in the U.S. Navy’s years‑long effort to field a fleet of uncrewed surface vessels, Reuters reported last year.

WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was pausing attacks on Iran's energy plants for 10 days at the Iranian government's request and said talks with Tehran were going "very well".

"As per Iranian Government request... I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

"Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well," he said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that it was in the "interest" of all G7 nations to push for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz currently blocked by Iran.

"It's in their interest to help," Rubio said shortly before heading to France where he will attend a meeting of G7 foreign ministers outside Paris on Friday.

It is Rubio's first trip abroad since the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28.

ISTANBUL, March 26 (Reuters) - A marine drone struck a crude oil tanker that had departed Russia, causing an explosion in the Black Sea near Istanbul's Bosphorus strait on Thursday, Turkey's transportation minister said.

Turkey condemned the attack, which it said targeted a Turkish-operated vessel.

"The attack on the Sierra Leone-flagged, Turkish-operated tanker ALTURA carrying crude oil is of great concern," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said on X, adding that the 27 crew members were in good health.

By John Irish and Sudip Kar-Gupta

VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France, March 26 (Reuters) - France said its military chief held talks with around 35 countries on Thursday as it sought partners and proposals for a mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran ends.

The United States' Western allies have said they will not take part in the ongoing conflict. But the behind-the-scenes activity underscores concern that, after the fighting, Iran could continue to threaten the waterway which carries about a fifth of global oil supplies.

OSLO, March 26 (Reuters) - Norway's parliament on Thursday passed a bill to temporarily cut petrol and diesel taxes, easing soaring fuel costs in the wake of the war in the Middle East, which has driven up the price of oil.

A vote was scheduled at short notice following a proposal from the opposition Conservative Party, bypassing the traditional fiscal budget process that can take months to complete.

Business leaders are warning that the United States lacks the infrastructure to alleviate a global LNG shortage caused by the US-Israel war on Iran, which has kept a fifth of the world's energy supplies from leaving the Gulf.

US President Donald Trump's commitment to fossil fuels has been typified by his "Drill, baby, drill" mantra and policies that have sidelined renewable energy.

At the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston this week, however, energy leaders said the US LNG industry has the reserves but not the capacity to quickly expand production.

By Parisa Hafezi and Angus McDowall

March 26 (Reuters) - The debate among Iranian hardliners over whether Tehran should seek a nuclear bomb in defiance of an escalating U.S.-Israeli attack is getting louder, more public and more insistent, sources in the country say.

With the Revolutionary Guards now dominant following the killing of veteran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the war on February 28, hardline views on Iran's nuclear approach are in the ascendant, two senior Iranian sources said.

MADRID, March 26 (Reuters) - The Iranian embassy in Spain said on Thursday on X that Spain respects international law and therefore Iran would be receptive to any request from Madrid related to the Strait of Hormuz.

"BREAKING NEWS: Iran considers Spain a country committed to international law, so it shows receptiveness to any request coming from Madrid.#StraitofHormuz," the post on X read.