In a recent statement, President Donald Trump emphasized that his early exit from the G7 Summit was unrelated to potential ceasefire discussions between Israel and Iran, describing the reasons for his departure as ‘much bigger.’ This remark followed his warning on social media for all individuals to ‘immediately evacuate’ Tehran shortly after exiting the summit in Canada.
While departing the summit, Trump criticized French President Emmanuel Macron, labeling him as ‘publicity seeking’ for suggesting that Trump left to facilitate a ceasefire. Trump asserted that Macron ‘has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a ceasefire,’ underscoring that his reasons were of greater significance.
According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump returned to Washington on Monday night to address ‘many important matters.’ Earlier on Monday, the president reiterated via his Truth Social account that ‘IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON’ and urged an immediate evacuation of Tehran to its approximately 10 million residents. He attributed the situation to Iran’s refusal to sign the ‘deal’ he proposed, expressing concern over the ongoing human cost.
Shortly before leaving Canada, Leavitt announced on X that Trump’s decision was influenced by escalating events in the Middle East. Trump explained to reporters that upon his return, he planned to make progress in negotiations with Iran, stating that ‘the Iranians want to make a deal, and as soon as I leave here, we’re going to be doing something.’
Fox News reported that Trump requested his national security team to convene in the Situation Room upon his return to the White House. However, he did not specify the reasons behind his evacuation warning for Tehran. Earlier that day, the Israeli military had also issued evacuation alerts for approximately 330,000 residents of the Iranian capital due to ongoing strikes, which included an attack on the main compound of Iran’s state television, visible during a live broadcast.
During the summit, a U.S. official indicated that Trump initially refused to endorse a draft statement from G7 leaders, which called for de-escalating the Israel-Iran conflict. However, after some modifications were made to the initial wording, he agreed to sign it. The finalized statement reaffirmed the G7’s commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East, supported Israel’s right to self-defense, labeled Iran as a source of regional instability, and reiterated that ‘Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.’ Additionally, the statement called for a resolution to the ongoing crisis alongside broader de-escalation efforts in the region, including a ceasefire in Gaza.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a post on X, expressed openness to resuming talks with the U.S. contingent on Israel halting its military actions against Iran. He commented, ‘If President Trump is genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential. Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue. It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu. That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy,’ while condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a ‘war criminal.’