Trump says US won't assassinate Iran's leader ‘for now' as he abruptly leaves G7
President Donald Trump said the US will not assassinate Iran's supreme leader – 'at least for now' – as he abruptly departed a global meeting.
Trump left the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada earlier than expected on Tuesday as the conflict between Iran and Israel escalated.
'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding,' wrote Trump on his Truth Social platform, referring to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
'He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.
'But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin.'
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.
MORE: Is it safe to travel to Egypt? Latest Foreign Office tourist advice as Israel and Iran trade attacks
MORE: Why Iran closing this 103-mile stretch of ocean could be catastrophic for the world
MORE: Project Runway star Arthur Folasa Ah Loo fatally shot at anti-Trump protest
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
40 minutes ago
- The Independent
Curfew in Downtown Los Angeles comes to an end after a week
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has lifted the curfew imposed on downtown Los Angeles following protests against President Trump's immigration policies. The curfew was initially implemented on June 10 in response to clashes between protestors and police. Bass stated the curfew was successful in preventing crime and protecting businesses, residents, and restaurants from vandalism. The curfew hours were reduced on Monday after a decrease in arrests during evening demonstrations and a decline in violence. Trump ordered the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles and instructed federal immigration officials to prioritize deportations from cities run by Democrats.
Daily Mail
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
US poised to join Iran war: America amasses armada of warships and fleets of fighter jets in the Middle East as Trump warns Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei 'we know where you're hiding'
Donald Trump was last night poised to join Israel 's attacks on Iran as he demanded Tehran's 'unconditional surrender'. The US President also boasted that his country could assassinate Ayatollah Khamenei – Iran's Supreme Leader – but the 'easy target' was safe 'for now'. America is assembling an armada of warships and fleets of fighter jets in the region ahead of possible military action. And US strikes on targets inside Iran, including nuclear facilities, were 'on the table' during a meeting of his National Security Council in the White House Situation Room last night. At least 224 people have been killed in Iran since Israel began its bombing campaign last week in an attempt to stop the regime from producing a nuclear weapon. Tehran appeared defenceless last night with Israeli jets able to cruise through its airspace without fear of being shot down. Israel also broadened the nature of its strikes to include cyberwarfare, with 'massive' attacks on Iran's internet, communication networks and banks. In a series of social media posts, Mr Trump said 'we' have aerial supremacy and 'we' know where the Supreme Leader is, remarks that suggested Israel and the US were acting in unison. Last night, international leaders confirmed the US was close to a decision on active involvement. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said a move could be imminent. Mr Trump abruptly left the G7 summit in Canada on Monday night. He told reporters on board Air Force One he was looking for 'a complete give-up' by Iran, adding he was 'not much in a mood to negotiate' and was working on something 'bigger than a ceasefire'. Meanwhile, Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the US, said 'this is the war to end wars'. 'This is the war to engender peace in the Middle East,' he added. Harking back to the audacious bombs-in-pagers plot against Hezbollah last year, Mr Leiter said: 'We've pulled off a number of surprises. When the dust settles, you're going to see some surprises on Thursday night and Friday, that will make the beeper operation almost seem simple.' Further explosions were heard across Tehran last night as the world held its breath over possible US participation. Highways out of the Iranian capital were jammed, but quite where millions of residents were supposed to go to following President Trump's plea for them to evacuate remained unclear. The US already has a Carrier Strike Group in the eastern Mediterranean, including an aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, with nine squadrons of fighter jets, as well as frigates and destroyers. A second Carrier Strike Group, including the carrier USS Nimitz, is sailing to the region from the Pacific. US bases across the Middle East were on high alert last night. Though any involvement of US ground troops was considered unlikely last night, there are 46,000 personnel stationed in the vicinity of Iran who could assist with evacuations of US citizens. Mr Trump had previously ruled out any US involvement unless Iran deliberately targeted American assets or individuals. But the bar appears to have been lowered. He posted on social media: 'We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran. 'Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn't compare to American-made, conceived and manufactured stuff.' He added: 'We know exactly where the so-called Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Khamenei] is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there. We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter.' In another post, in capital letters, he demanded: 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER'. Last night, President Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu were understood to be speaking by telephone about the state of the conflict. Israel has decimated Iran's defences in five days, opening up further strikes on the country's nuclear enrichment facilities and ballistic missile sites at will. But Israel's formidable arsenal does not extend to the American GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs capable of striking deep underground and so has been unable to penetrate the Fordow nuclear enrichment site, buried deep in a mountain south of Tehran. The beating of war drums last night came after Sir Keir Starmer had tried to play down indications that the US was poised to launch military action. When the Prime Minister was asked whether the conflict could spiral out of control should the US get involved, he told reporters in Canada: 'I don't think anything that the President said either here or elsewhere suggests that. The wording of the G7 statement is very clear about de-escalation and de-escalation across the region. 'That statement speaks for itself in terms of the shared position of everybody who was here at the G7 [including President Trump] and that was a statement that was agreed.' Last night, however, senior US diplomatic and political figures appeared to be urging the President to seize an opportunity to eliminate Iran's threat to Israel. President Trump posted on social media a text he received from the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who is also a pastor. Mr Huckabee told Mr Trump that God had saved him from assassination during the presidential campaign so he could become 'the most consequential president in a century – maybe ever'. Mr Huckabee likened the stakes in the Middle East to the Second World War and the decision faced by the US following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. But others in the Make America Great Movement were positioning against involvement in another 'forever war'. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson have both called out 'warmongers', with Ms Taylor Greene tweeting: 'Foreign wars/intervention/regime change put America last, kill innocent people, are making us broke, and will ultimately lead to our destruction.' Even without a US intervention, Israel will continue with its ambitions in the conflict. Foreign affairs minister Gideon Sa'ar said Israel's goals were to severely damage the nuclear programme, the ballistic missile programme and to 'severely damage Iran's plans to eliminate the state of Israel'. Reports emerged last night suggesting the timing of Israel's attacks may not have been based on Iran posing an imminent threat. US intelligence assessments said Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon and it was 'up to three years away' from being able to produce and deliver a functioning warhead.
North Wales Chronicle
41 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Coalition of the willing to reconvene ‘in weeks' as UK pushes Russian oil cap
The Prime Minister on Tuesday announced a series of measures aimed at ramping up pressure on Vladimir Putin as he continues to resist calls for an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, Sir Keir said he 'strongly' believes that restrictions on the price of Russian crude oil should be strengthened to deplete its energy revenues. He also dismissed suggestions that plans, led by Britain and France, for a 'coalition of the willing' to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine were dead in the water as progress towards a potential truce stalls. In a bilateral meeting with the Ukrainian president on the sidelines of the leaders' conference on Tuesday, the two leaders 'agreed to drive forward the next stage of military support', Number 10 said. 'Their meeting followed an extensive session with wider partners, focused on maintaining momentum to secure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine,' the readout said. 'The Prime Minister and president agreed to drive forward the next stage of military support – adding that a strong Ukraine is essential to guarantee peace in the long term. 'They agreed to convene the next coalition of the willing meeting in the coming weeks. 'They also discussed ramping up the economic pressure on Putin, with the Prime Minister updating the president on the new sanctions announced by the United Kingdom today. 'They agreed there should be no place to hide for those who fund Putin's war machine.' Mr Zelensky said they had agreed that 'to force Russia to end this war, coordinated sanctions by all G7 countries are needed against their energy and banking sectors, shadow fleet, and military-industrial complex'. Britain announced sanctions on 20 Russian oil tankers as well as measures to tighten the net around companies managing the vessels, with Downing Street saying the UK would also seek to 'move with partners' to tighten the energy price cap. A wider package of measures which Sir Keir suggested would be forthcoming from leaders gathered at the summit in the Canadian Rockies is yet to materialise after splits opened up in the approach to Russia on Monday. Allies face an uphill struggle to lower the cap from the existing rate of 60 dollars per barrel after Donald Trump signalled his reluctance to impose further measures on Moscow. The US president suggested he wanted to wait to 'see whether or not a deal is done' with Ukraine before targeting the Kremlin with further action. Speaking to reporters with him in Kananaskis, Sir Keir was asked if tightening the oil price cap would be possible without the backing of Washington. 'Obviously today we're going to focus on Ukraine,' Sir Keir said. 'We've got President (Volodymyr) Zelensky coming in. We're putting in extra sanctions today, including sanctions on the shadow fleet. 'Others will be doing, similar actions in coming days. And so that does ramp up the pressure. 'On the oil price, obviously, we're still looking at how we're going to make that work. But I strongly believe that we have to put those sanctions in place. We're having those discussions with President Zelensky today.' Talks to broker a possible peace in Ukraine have stalled as Moscow continues to pound the country with missile and drone attacks and holds out on US-backed proposals for an unconditional truce. Meanwhile, the UK and France have been leading efforts to assemble a so-called 'coalition of the willing' made up of nations prepared to send peacekeeping troops to Kyiv to enforce a potential ceasefire. Asked whether those plans were dead in the water, Sir Keir told reporters: 'On the coalition of the willing, no, not at all. That is obviously intended to answer the question, how do you ensure that if a deal is reached, a deal is kept so it's a lasting deal? 'Because the concern, has always been, that there have been deals, if you like, before, Putin has then subsequently breached them. 'So how do you stop that happening again? And the military planning is still going on, as you would expect, so that, when the time comes, we're ready to act.' Mr Zelensky is attending the G7 conference in Kananaskis, along with leaders from Canada, the US, France, Italy, Japan, Germany and Britain. As well as sanctions on Russia's shadow fleet, Britain has also targeted two UK residents – Vladimir Pristoupa and Olech Tkacz – who the Government said had operated 'a shadowy network of shell companies' aiding Moscow. The branch of the Russian defence ministry leading the country's underwater intelligence gathering operations, known as Gugi, has also been sanctioned. Sir Keir said: 'These sanctions strike right at the heart of Putin's war machine, choking off his ability to continue his barbaric war in Ukraine. 'We know that our sanctions are hitting hard, so while Putin shows total disregard for peace, we will not hesitate to keep tightening the screws. 'The threat posed by Russia cannot be underestimated, so I'm determined to take every step necessary to protect our national security and keep our country safe and secure.'
