Sean O'Grady: Israel's attack is risky, but so far not a trigger for WWIII
It is a sobering fact that as the heads of most of the world's leading industrial powers and democracies – the G7 – meet in Canada, there is not much they can do or wish to do to end the Iran-Israel war.
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Irish Independent
41 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Trump leaves G7 summit early after warning people in Tehran to ‘immediately evacuate'
Donald Trump said on Monday that his early departure from the Group of Seven nations' summit has "nothing to do with" working on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, refuting comments by French President Emmanuel Macron who said the U.S. president made a ceasefire proposal. Macron "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 on his Truth Social platform on Monday as he left the G7 summit in Canada to return to Washington.
Irish Examiner
41 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Donald Trump urges Tehran evacuation as Iran-Israel conflict enters fifth day
Israel and Iran attacked each other for a fifth straight day on Tuesday, and US President Donald Trump urged Iranians to evacuate Tehran, citing what he said was the country's rejection of a deal to curb nuclear weapons development. World leaders meeting at the Group of Seven summit in Canada called for a de-escalation of the worst-ever conflict between the regional foes, saying Iran must never have a nuclear weapon while affirming Israel's right to defend itself. French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump, who was leaving the summit a day early due to the Middle East situation, had proposed a ceasefire for Iran and Israel. "There is an offer that has been made, especially to have a ceasefire and to initiate broader discussions. And I think this is a very good thing," Macron told reporters. "So now we need to see what the stakeholders will do." Trump has repeatedly urged Iran to give up its nuclear weapons ambitions. US President Donald Trump speaking to the media at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada. Picture date: Monday June 16, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Suzanne Plunkett/PA Wire "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!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform on Monday. Axios reported the White House is discussing with Iran the possibility of a meeting this week between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Reuters couldn't immediately verify details of the Axios report. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News that Trump was still aiming for a nuclear deal with Iran, while adding the US would defend its assets in the region. Iranian media reported explosions and heavy air defence fire in Tehran early on Tuesday, with smoke rising in the city's east after an explosion of suspected Israeli projectiles. Air defences were activated also in Natanz, home to key nuclear installations 320km away, the Asriran news website reported. Late on Monday, Israel said it hit Iran's broadcasting authority, and footage showed a newsreader hurrying from her seat as a blast struck. Iranian state television said the strike killed two people. In Israel, air raid sirens wailed in Tel Aviv after midnight but there were no reports of missile strikes. Iranian officials have reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, in five days, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said nearly 3,000 Israelis had been evacuated due to damage from Iranian strikes. Israeli border police officers walk at the entrance of a residential building hit by a missile launched from Iran, in Petah Tikva, Israel, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner) According to sources, Tehran has asked Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to urge Trump to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to an immediate ceasefire. In return, Iran would show flexibility in nuclear negotiations, according to two Iranian and three regional sources. "If President Trump is genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X. Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has pointed to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that. Oil prices rallied more than 2% early in Asia on Tuesday after Trump's evacuation warning, reversing losses on Monday amid reports that Iran was seeking an end to hostilities. The Iran-Israel air war - the biggest battle ever between the two longtime enemies - escalated on Monday with Israel targeting Iran's state broadcaster and uranium enrichment facilities. The Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the BBC that the Natanz plant sustained extensive damage, likely destroying 15,000 centrifuges, while Iran's Fordow plant remained largely intact. Talks between the United States and Iran, hosted by Oman, had been scheduled for June 15 but were scrapped, with Tehran saying it could not negotiate while under attack. Israel launched its air war with a surprise attack that has killed nearly the entire top echelon of Iran's military commanders and its leading nuclear scientists. It says it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in the coming days. - Reuters Read More Iran threatens to leave nuclear weapons treaty as Israeli bombing enters fourth day
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Trump leaves G7 summit early over Middle East
US President Donald Trump has left the Group of Seven summit in Canada a day early due to the situation in the Middle East, the White House has said. French President Emmanuel Macron said Mr Trump had made an offer for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Mr Trump had earlier urged everyone to immediately evacuate Tehran and reiterated that Iran should have signed a nuclear deal with the United States. "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," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X. The G7 has struggled to find unity over conflicts in Ukraine and between Israel and Iran as Mr Trump overtly expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and has imposed tariffs on many of the allies present. Mr Trump did agree to a group statement calling for de-escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict. "We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza," the statement said. The G7 expressed support for Israel, saying it has the right to defend itself and labelled its rival Iran as a source of instability in the Middle East. Mr Macron said that Mr Trump's departure was positive, given the objective to get a ceasefire. "There is indeed an offer to meet and exchange. An offer was made especially to get a ceasefire and to then kick-start broader discussions," Mr Macron told reporters. "We have to see now whether the sides will follow." G7 leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US, along with the European Union, had convened in the resort area of Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies. Speaking alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier, Mr Trump said the former Group of Eight had been wrong to kick out Russia in 2014 after it annexed Crimea. "This was a big mistake," Mr Trump said, adding he believed Russia would not have invaded Ukraine in 2022 had Putin not been ejected. "Putin speaks to me. He doesn't speak to anybody else ... he's not a happy person about it. I can tell you that he basically doesn't even speak to the people that threw him out, and I agree with him," Mr Trump said. Though Mr Trump stopped short of saying Russia should be reinstated in the group, his comments had raised doubts about how much Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky can achieve when he is scheduled to meet the leaders later today. "It was a rough start," said Josh Lipsky, a former senior IMF official who now chairs the international economics department at the Atlantic Council. European nations had wanted to persuade Mr Trump to back tougher sanctions on Moscow. A spokesperson for the Ukraine embassy in Canada said that Mr Zelensky was still planning to come to Canada. Canada has abandoned any effort to adopt a comprehensive communique to avert a repeat of the 2018 summit in Quebec, when Trump instructed the US delegation to withdraw its approval of the final communique after leaving. Leaders have prepared several draft documents seen by Reuters, including on migration, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals. None of them have been approved by the United States, however, according to sources briefed on the documents. Without Mr Trump, it is unclear if there will be any declarations, a European diplomat said. Mr Carney invited non-G7 members Mexico, India, Australia, South Africa, South Korea and Brazil, as well as Ukraine. Tariffs Mr Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they had finalised a trade deal reached between the two allies last month, making Britain the first country to agree to a deal for lower US tariffs. Mr Carney said in a statement he had agreed with Mr Trump that their two nations should try to wrap up a new economic and security deal within 30 days. Mr Trump said a new economic deal with host Canada was possible but stressed tariffs had to play a role, a position the Canadian government strongly opposes. "Our position is that we should have no tariffs on Canadian exports to the United States," said Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador to Washington.
