Donald Trump slammed ‘publicity seeking’ French President Emmanuel Macron for suggesting he left the G7 Summit in Canada to negotiate a ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran.
In a late night post to Truth Social, Trump wrote that Macron was wrong to say that was why he departed.
‘Publicity seeking President Emmanuel Macron, of France, mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a ‘cease fire’ between Israel and Iran,’ Trump wrote.
‘Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that. Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay Tuned!’
The French president seemed to indicate such a deal was on the table when he spoke to reporters at the summit.
‘There is indeed an offer to meet and exchange. An offer was made especially to get a cease-fire and to then kick-start broader discussions. We have to see now whether the sides will follow.’
He added optimistically that ‘if the United States can achieve a cease-fire, that’s a very good thing.’
Trump headed back to DC as Israel warned hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate the middle of Iran’s capital as Israel’s air campaign on Tehran appeared to broaden on the fourth day of an intensifying conflict.
Earlier Monday, Israel’s military issued an evacuation warning to 330,000 people in a part of central Tehran that houses the country’s state TV and police headquarters, as well as three large hospitals, including one owned by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
Trump himself seemed to co-sign the warning in a Truth Social post earlier Monday.
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! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!
The city, one of the region’s largest, is home to around 9.5 million people.
Israel’s military has issued similar evacuation warnings for civilians in parts of Gaza and Lebanon ahead of strikes.
The IDF says its sweeping assault on Iran´s top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites and ballistic missile program is necessary to prevent its longtime adversary from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon.
The strikes have killed at least 224 people since Friday.
Iran has retaliated by launching more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel.
So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 wounded.
The IDF ‘completed several extensive strikes on military targets of the Iranian regime in western Iran,’ they said in a statement.
‘During the strikes, dozens of surface-to-surface missile storage and launch infrastructure were struck. In addition, surface-to-air missile launchers and UAV storage sites were struck in western Iran.’
They also claim that Iran has sent three barrages of missiles since midnight Tuesday.
Shortly after, the White House announced he would depart the G7 Summit in Canada a day early to deal with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
‘Well, I have to be back, very important,’ he told reporters as he posed for the G7’s family photo Monday evening. ‘I just want to thank our great host, Canada.’
The back-and-forth has raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval.
Before leaving the summit, Trump joined the other leaders in a joint statement saying Iran ‘can never have a nuclear weapon’ and calling for a ‘de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.’
He departed Kananaskis, Canada Monday night and is expected to arrive back in Washington, D.C. early Tuesday morning, with Fox News reporting that Trump had instructed the National Security Council to assemble in the White House’s Situation Room.
‘You probably see what I see and I have to be back as soon as I can,’ Trump continued. ‘I’m going to have dinner with these wonderful leaders and then I get on a plane, I have to be back early.’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News Monday night that the U.S. military is prepared in the region, though left the door open for the Israeli-Iranian conflict to end diplomatically, as the president has called for.
‘We are postured defensively in the region to be strong in pursuit of a peace deal,’ Hegseth said. ‘We’re vigilant, prepared, and committed to defending our people and our assets.’
Hegseth didn´t provide details on what prompted the meeting but said on Fox News late Monday that the movements were to ‘ensure that our people are safe.’
Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Monday that his country´s forces had ‘achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran´s skies.’
The military said it destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, a third of Iran´s total, including multiple launchers just before they launched ballistic missiles towards Israel. It also destroyed two F-14 fighter planes that Iran used to target Israeli aircraft, the military said.
Israeli military officials also said fighter jets had struck 10 command centers in Tehran belonging to Iran´s Quds Force, an elite arm of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli strikes have set Iran´s nuclear program back a ‘very, very long time,’ and told reporters he is in daily touch with Trump.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful, and the U.S. and others have assessed that Tehran has not had an organized effort to pursue a nuclear weapon since 2003.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that the country has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs should it choose to do so.
So far, Israel has targeted multiple Iranian nuclear program sites but has not been able to destroy Iran´s Fordo uranium enrichment facility.
Trump’s early exit from the G7 was announced by press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
‘President Trump will return to Washington tonight so he can attend to many important matters,’ Leavitt said.
In an X post she added that Trump ‘had a great day at the G7, even signing a major trade deal with the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.’
‘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,’ Leavitt said.
That means Trump will miss a planned face-to-face meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, where the war with Russia was to be discussed.
He was also scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, where immigration and trade would have been on the table.
At the end of the day, he was expected to hold a press conference.
‘I wish I could stay for tomorrow, but they understand this, it’s big stuff,’ Trump said at the family photo gathering.
He then joked, ‘Do you have questions for anybody else?’
In his Truth Social post, Trump had pushed again that the Iranian regime should have made a nuclear deal with him.
‘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.
Ahead of sending out the Truth Social post, Trump had been meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
At the top of their meeting, Trump expressed that he believed a Iranian nuclear deal could still be signed.
‘Israel is doing very well, as you probably know. And I gave Iran 60 days, and they said, well, at the 61st you saw what happened. Day 61. So I’m in constant touch. And as I’ve been saying, I think a deal will be signed, or something will happen, but a deal will be signed. And I think Iran is foolish not to sign,’ Trump said.
Asked if he would travel to the Middle East for any peace talks, Trump responded: ‘I think we’re doing pretty well. We’re talking. We have a thing called the telephone.’
He visited the Middle East in mid-May, with state visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Prior to that, Trump had expressed a similarly positive outlook on getting an Iran nuclear deal worked out.
‘Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make, in that case by using TRADE with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and STOP!’ he posted to Truth Social Monday morning.