Trump denies seeking Middle East truce as Israel ramps up attacks
US President Donald Trump reined in speculation about a quick end to the conflict between Israel and Iran, keeping the market on edge about potential crude oil supply disruptions in the Middle East.
After leaving the Group of Seven leaders meeting in Canada early, Trump played down the prospect of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran and said he wants 'a real end' to the conflict. He told reporters aboard Air Force One that he wanted Tehran's nuclear program 'wiped out,' according to CBS.
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7NEWS
35 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
Trump demands Iran's ‘unconditional surrender' and hints at US becoming directly involved in conflict with Israel
President Donald Trump said Tuesday the US knows where Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding during the Israel-Iran conflict but doesn't want him killed 'for now'. Trump urged, in a social media posting, Iran's 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER' as the five-day conflict continues to escalate. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Conflict escalates between Israel and Iran. 'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding,' Trump added. '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.' Trump's increasingly muscular comments toward the Iranian government come after he urged Tehran's 9.5 million residents to flee for their lives as he cut short his participation in an international summit to return to Washington for urgent talks with his national security team. The comments about Khamenei and calls for surrender came shortly after Trump in a separate posting touted complete control of the skies over Tehran. Trump in the opening days of the conflict rejected a plan presented by Israel to kill Khamenei, according to a US official familiar with the matter, who was not authorized to comment on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The Israelis had informed the Trump administration that they had developed a credible plan to kill Khamenei. But White House officials informed the Israelis that Trump opposed such a move. Administration officials were concerned that the plan to kill Khamenei could enflame the conflict and potentially destabilize the region. Trump returned to the White House from his abbreviated trip to the Group of Seven summit in the Canadian Rockies early Tuesday at a moment of choosing in his presidency. Israel, with five days of missile strikes, has done considerable damage to Iran and believes it can now deal a permanent blow to Tehran's nuclear program — particularly if it gets a little more help from the Republican president. But deepening American involvement, perhaps by providing the Israelis with bunker-busting bombs to penetrate Iranian nuclear sites built deep underground or offering other direct US military support, comes with enormous political risk for Trump. Trump, as he made his way back to Washington, expressed frustration with Iranian leaders for failing to reach an agreement. He said he was now looking for 'a real end' to the conflict and a 'complete give-up' of Tehran's nuclear program. 'They should have done the deal. I told them, 'Do the deal,'' Trump told reporters on Air Force One. 'So I don't know. I'm not too much in the mood to negotiate.' Iran has insisted that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, and US intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran is not actively pursuing a bomb. Trump, who was holding a Situation Room meeting with advisers on Tuesday, has been gradually building the public case for a more direct American role in the conflict. His shift in tone comes as the US has repositioned warships and military aircraft in the region to respond if the conflict between Israel and Iran further escalates. Meanwhile, the State Department created a special task force to assist Americans seeking to leave Israel and other Mideast countries, although no government evacuations are currently planned. There are some 700,000 Americans, many of them dual US-Israeli citizens, now in Israel and thousands more in other Mideast countries, including Iran. Trump made an early departure from G7 The White House announced Monday that Trump was cutting his participation in the G7 summit so he could return to Washington to focus his attention on the Mideast crisis. Trump, while at the summit, also raised alarms when he urged Iranians with a social media posting to 'immediately evacuate Tehran.' Asked about his evacuation comment, Trump told reporters: 'I just want people to be safe.' Trump said he wasn't ruling out a diplomatic option and he could send Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with the Iranians. He also dismissed congressional testimony from National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, who told lawmakers in March that US spy agencies did not believe Iran was building a nuclear weapon. 'I don't care what she said,' Trump said. 'I think they were very close to having it.' Gabbard on Tuesday brushed off the inconsistency, blaming the media for misconstruing her earlier testimony and asserting that 'President Trump was saying the same thing that I said.' Speculation grows that Trump may be tilting toward more direct involvement The Israelis say their offensive has eviscerated Iran's air defenses and they can now strike targets across the country at will. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Israeli bombardment will continue until Iran's nuclear program and ballistic missiles are destroyed. So far, Israel has targeted multiple Iranian nuclear program sites but has not been able to destroy Iran's Fordo uranium enrichment facility. The site is buried deep underground — and to eliminate it, Israel may need the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, which uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets and then explode. But Israel does not have the munition or the bomber needed to deliver it — the penetrator is currently delivered by the B-2 stealth bomber. Israel's own defenses remain largely intact in the face of Iran's retaliatory strikes, but some of Tehran's missiles are getting through and having deadly impact. A widening schism over Iran among Trump's MAGA supporters Trump bristled when asked about some of his MAGA faithful, including conservative pundit Tucker Carlson, who have suggested that further US involvement would be a betrayal to supporters who were drawn to his promise to end US involvement in expensive and endless wars. 'Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that,' IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!'' the president wrote on social media. Other prominent Trump supporters have also raised concerns about how far the president should go in backing Israel. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk are among prominent Trump World allies who have noted that voters backed Trump because he promised not to entangle the nation in foreign clashes and to be wary of expanding US involvement in the Mideast conflict. He ran on a promise to quickly end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine but has struggled to find an endgame to either. In a Tuesday posting on X, Vance said he wanted to address 'a lot of crazy stuff on social media' about Trump's approach to Iran. Vance made the case that Trump has been consistent that 'Iran cannot have uranium enrichment' and has said 'repeatedly that this would happen one of two ways — the easy way or the 'other' way.' There are also Trump backers, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who are making the case that this is Trump's moment to deliver a decisive blow to Iran. Graham is calling for Trump to 'go all-in' in backing Israel and destroying Iran's nuclear program.
Sydney Morning Herald
36 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Khamenei won't be hunted ‘for now': Trump issues veiled threat, calls for Iran's surrender
Iran and Israel have ramped up their missile attacks as the world waits to see what action US President Donald Trump will take after leaving the G7 summit of world leaders in Canada a day early because of intensifying hostilities in the Middle East. Residents of Tehran were caught in gridlock trying to flee the city as global anxiety centred on whether the United States would broker an end to the conflict or enter the fray by helping Israel destroy Iran's deeply buried nuclear enrichment facility at Fordow, which only US 'bunker-buster' bombs can reach. Trump said on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) that the US knew exactly where Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was 'hiding', that he was an easy target but would not be hunted – at least for now. In a social media post, he urged Iran's 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER' as the five-day conflict continues to escalate. 'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' 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,' Trump said in a post on Truth Social. 'But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin.' Loading It follows reports earlier this week that the US president vetoed a plan presented by Israel to the US to kill the Iranian leader. Trump returned to the White House from his abbreviated visit to the G7 summit in Canada early Tuesday where he signed a statement from G7 leaders calling for a de-escalation in hostilities, despite early reports of his reluctance.
Perth Now
39 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Trump wary of EU trade offer while Japan being 'tough'
US President Donald Trump says Japan is being "tough" in trade talks and the European Union had not yet offered what he considers a fair deal, as a team led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stayed at the G7 meeting in Canada to keep working on trade issues after Trump's early departure. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that the EU would need to offer the United States "a good deal" or face higher tariffs. Trump spoke after leaving the G7 summit early, in order to focus on the Middle East. He told reporters Bessent was staying on in Kananaskis, Alberta, to keep talking with counterparts on trade. White House officials said US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett also remained in Canada and would be meeting with their counterparts. They said Trump met informally with all G7 members but had not seen the leaders of India, Australia or Mexico, who were also slated to meet him in Canada this week. "We're talking but I don't feel that they're offering a fair deal yet," Trump said of the EU. "They're either going to make a good deal or they'll just pay whatever we say they have to pay." European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters on the sidelines of the G7 summit that the objective was still to reach a deal before higher reciprocal tariffs go into effect on July 9 after a 90-day pause. "It's complex but we are advancing, that is good, and I push hard to pick up more speed, so we are mixed in the negotiations, and we will see what the end brings," she said. Trump also said there was a chance of a trade deal between the US and Japan. "They're tough, the Japanese are tough, but ultimately you have to understand we're just going to send a letter saying 'this is what you're going to pay, otherwise you don't have to do business with us'. But there's a chance," he said. Trump also said pharmaceutical tariffs were coming very soon, repeating a threat he has made repeatedly to impose import taxes on medical goods in a bid to force drug makers to rebase production to the US. "We're going to be doing pharmaceuticals very soon. That's going to bring all the companies back into America," he said. "It's going to bring most of them back into, at least partially back in." Matthew Goodman, a former senior US official and fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said it was always a "stretch goal" for Trump to reach any deals at the G7 summit beyond finalising the terms of a limited deal with the United Kingdom. The US-UK deal, announced by Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the G7 summit, reaffirmed quotas and tariff rates on UK cars and eliminated tariffs on the UK aerospace sector but the issue of steel and aluminium remained unresolved. Most other major US trading partners were still in talks to try to cement an agreement with Trump before the three-month hiatus on his sweeping "Liberation Day" tariffs expires in about three weeks. "I think July 9 is the real deadline. That's when the 90-day pause ends, and I suspect that Trump and his team are trying to use that as maximum pressure to get countries to give more ground," Goodman said. Trump has signalled he could extend the deadline for countries that engaged in negotiations but repeated his threat to send letters to other countries that simply spell out the US tariffs they would be facing.
