Trump to leave G7 early after warning of Iran attack

RTÉ News​

5 hours ago

US President Donald Trump was leaving a Group of Seven summit early on Monday as he hinted of greater involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict after issuing an ominous warning for the capital Tehran to evacuate.
After a day of speaking with G7 leaders at a Canada summit about the need for a negotiated deal, Mr Trump took to social media to back Israel and issue a warning to Tehran, a city of nearly 10 million people.
"Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Shortly afterward, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Mr Trump would return to Washington due to the crisis, a day earlier than planned.
Mr Trump will miss a day of meetings in the Rockies resort of Kananaskis that was also expected to include meetings with the leaders of Ukraine and Mexico.
The US president has repeatedly declined to say if the United States would participate in Israeli military action, although he says it was not involved in initial strikes.
He told reporters before his decision was announced to leave early: "As soon as I leave here, we're going to be doing something. But I have to leave here."
Mr Trump, who has praised Israel's strikes despite his stated preference for diplomacy, said Iran would be "foolish" not to agree to a negotiated settlement.
"It's painful for both parties, but I'd say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately, before it's too late," Mr Trump told reporters as he met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Israel has struck major nuclear and military sites and killed leading commanders and nuclear scientists in Iran, which has responded with its own volley of drones and missiles on Israel.
Onus on Iran
Canada and European leaders had looked to draft a statement on the crisis, but diplomats said that Mr Trump has not committed the United States to joining it.
Leaders of the club of industrialized democracies - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States - have mostly backed Israel but concern has mounted as the violence intensifies.
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking to reporters, pleaded with Israel to spare civilians in Iran.
Any statement would be expected to put the onus on Iran and stop short of calling for an immediate ceasefire.
"We'll highlight the legitimate right of the state of Israel to defend itself and we will also discuss potential additional measures to reach a diplomatic solution," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that G7 leaders share concern about Iran's nuclear program but also: "I do think there's a consensus for de-escalation."
Unusually, Japan - which has historic relations with Iran and limited domestic pressure related to the Middle East - has broken with its Western allies to condemn Israel's attack, calling it "completely unacceptable and deeply regrettable."
Iran, since Mr Trump pulled out of an earlier nuclear deal in 2018, has ramped up uranium enrichment but not yet at levels to create an atomic bomb.
Israel is widely known to have nuclear weapons but does not acknowledge them publicly.
Easing tensions with Trump
The summit at a wooded lodge under snow-capped mountains comes after months of tumult on the global stage since Mr Trump's return.
Seeking to shatter a decades-old US-led global economic order, Mr Trump has vowed sweeping tariffs on friends and foes alike although he has postponed implementation until 9 July.
However, Mr Trump voiced optimism about a resolution with Canada and signed documents with Mr Starmer to confirm an agreement with Britain.
The Republican president has previously mocked host Canada, stating that the vast but less populated neighbor should become the 51st US state.
But he has appeared to show more respect to Canada since Mr Carney, a staid former central banker, took over from Justin Trudeau in March.
Mr Trump was "very respectful" and spoke of "how much he likes Canada," said the country's ambassador to Washington, Kirsten Hillman.
The US leader had taken office seeking diplomacy both on Iran and Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022.
Mr Trump has since voiced frustration that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not accepted a US proposal for a ceasefire.
He has previously mused about re-admitting Russia to the G8, from which it was expelled in 2014 after invading and annexing Ukraine's region of Crimea, triggering a war which accelerated in 2022 with a full-scale Russian invasion.
Mr Trump said that his Russian counterpart was "very insulted" by the G8 expulsion and that if Russia was still a member, "you wouldn't have a war right now."