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Donald Trump will leave the G7 summit in Canada early after issuing a stark warning for the immediate evacuation of Tehran, as the US president resisted signing a joint statement calling for de-escalation of Middle East hostilities.
Trump’s decision to abandon the gathering of leading US allies a day early came in the wake of further Israeli strikes on the Iranian capital, including an attack on state television broadcaster IRIB that fuelled concerns that the war between the two countries could spiral further.
“You probably see what I see and I have to be back as soon as I can,” Trump told reporters late on Monday. “I wish I could stay for tomorrow, but they understand. This is big stuff.”
The war in the Middle East was at the top of the agenda at the G7 but, as G7 leaders tried to craft a joint statement calling for a de-escalation in the war between Israel and Iran, which broke out last week, the US was the main holdout.
“It’ll be up to the American side to decide whether we’re going to have a G7 statement on the Middle East or not,” a German government spokesperson told reporters.
While the US president has said he would like to see a deal to halt the conflict, he has not ruled out American involvement in the war in support of Israel.
“President Trump had a great day at the G7, even signing a major trade deal with the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, wrote on X. “Much was accomplished, but because of what’s going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight after dinner with Heads of State.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump told G7 leaders there were discussions under way to obtain a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
Trump “spoke several minutes ago about ongoing discussions, which is a good thing”, Macron told reporters after the White House’s announcement that Trump would depart the G7 summit.
“An offer was indeed made, mainly to achieve a ceasefire and to launch broader discussions.”
Iran has said it will only agree to negotiate an end to the war with Israel and resume talks over its nuclear programme if Israeli forces halt their bombing campaign, according to diplomats.
The strike on the IRIB studio on Monday occurred as Israel has continued to launch waves of missiles into Iran since it began its attack early on Friday.
Iran has retaliated by launching several volleys of missiles across Israel. Both sides have sustained casualties.
In a sign of the rising tensions, Trump earlier on Monday posted on Truth Social that: “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”
“Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again!” Trump wrote.
He later wrote a second post criticising Tucker Carlson, the firebrand media host close to Trump, who has been arguing against further US involvement on the side of Israel.
“Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!” he wrote.
In recent days, the US has built up its presence in the Middle East, deploying additional military assets to the region.
The Pentagon on Monday sent the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group to the region “to sustain our defensive posture and safeguard American personnel”, according to a US defence official.
The strike group, which consists of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and three guided-missile destroyers, had been in the South China Sea, according to MarineTraffic, a ship tracking website.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said he had directed the deployment of additional capabilities “to the United States Central Command Area of Responsibility” over the weekend, according to his post on X on Monday. Centcom is responsible for military operations throughout the Middle East.
The US Navy, under US European Command, also “continues to conduct operations in the Eastern Mediterranean in support of US national security objectives”, the defence official added.
Should Iran attack the US in any way, Trump has vowed on his Truth Social platform that “the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before”.
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