"A reconfiguration is under way," said a French diplomatic source who was officially briefing reporters but required anonymity as is standard policy.
The ministers of the G7 – France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, the U.S. and Japan, meet in Japan between April 16 to 18.
"The region is going through serious upheaval, be it the Iranian nuclear crisis aspect, but also the recomposition of the geopolitical balances with the Iran, Saudi, China deal.
"The G7 must be able to preserve its security interests, which incidentally are also in the interest of regional security, but also global security," the diplomat said.
"The G7 will only remain credible if it is able to handle the world’s problems," he said.