Israel orders 300,000 people in Tehran to evacuate while Trump issues ominous warning
Israel warned hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate the middle of Iran's capital as Israel's air campaign on Tehran appeared to broaden on the fourth day of an intensifying conflict. An Iranian television anchor fled her studio during a live broadcast as bombs fell on the headquarters of the country's state-run TV station. U.S. President Donald Trump posted an ominous message on his social media site later Monday calling for the immediate evacuation of Tehran. 'IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,' Trump wrote, adding that 'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on social media shortly after Trump's post that he was returning from the G7 summit in Canada a day early due to the intensifying conflict.
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The Province
28 minutes ago
- The Province
Donald Trump to leave G7 Summit early over Middle East tensions
'Because of what's going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight after dinner with Heads of State,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote U.S. President Donald Trump at the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alta., on June 16, 2025. Photo by Suzanne Plunkett-Pool/Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump will leave the G7 Summit in Alberta early, with the rising tensions in the Middle East cited as the reason. In a post to X late on Monday afternoon, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said that Trump 'had a great day at the G7,' and '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,' Leavitt wrote. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors President Trump had a great day at the G7, even signing a major trade deal with the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 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. — Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) June 16, 2025 Trump confirmed his early departure at the end of a group photo with other G7 leaders before their working dinner. 'I have to be back, it's very important,' he told reporters. 'I want to just thank our great hosts, thank you to Canada, but you probably see what I see.' Prime minister Mark Carney said the leaders would do some more work over dinner. 'I'm very grateful for the president's presence and I fully understand why he must depart.' Unlike Trump's early departure at the last G7 summit hosted in Canada seven years ago, he did not storm out in a huff. 'We had just a really great relationship with everybody,' he said. 'It was really nice. I wish I could stay for tomorrow, but they understand this is big stuff.' In recent days, Israel and Iran have neared all-out war, with Israel assassinating a number of high-level Iranian officials and Iran responding with rocket attacks on Israel's cities. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Trump called for the evacuation of Iran's capital Tehran on Monday, hours after he urged the country's leadership to sign a deal to limit its nuclear program and Israel signalled strikes would continue. It wasn't clear if Trump knew of a fresh round of attacks Israel may have planned for the city, which has a population of more than 9 million people. Israel had earlier warned one Tehran neighbourhood to evacuate and video showed massive traffic jams as people sought to escape. Soon after Trump's post, Iran's Fars news agency reported several explosions east of the city. 'Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign,' Trump wrote in a social media post from a Group of Seven leaders' summit in Alberta, Canada. '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!' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Earlier in the day, Trump had said Iran wanted to make a deal, and 'as soon as I leave here, we're going to be doing something.' He didn't provide any more details. French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that Trump's early departure from the G7 meeting could mean a positive development in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. 'If the U.S. can obtain a ceasefire that is a good thing,' Macron told reporters in Alberta. Alex Pfeiffer, a White House spokesperson, denied claims on social media that the U.S. would join Israel in its military offensive against Iran. 'American forces are maintaining their defensive posture, and that has not changed,' he said in a post to X. While Trump and senior officials have stressed that the U.S. was not involved in Israel's attacks on Iran and have warned Tehran not to target American personnel or assets in the region, the administration has helped Israel defend itself from the missile and drone attacks. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Whether the U.S. might join in any military action against Iran remains a key question. Israel's strikes have seen the country assume control over much of Iranian air space and damage key nuclear sites, but experts have said the country lacks the firepower to destroy an underground nuclear facility at Fordow. — With additional reporting from Bloomberg and The Canadian Press Read More Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here. Vancouver Canucks News News Vancouver Canucks PWHL
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
The Latest: Trump says all of Tehran should evacuate ‘immediately'
U.S. President Donald Trump posted an ominous message on his social media site Monday calling for the immediate evacuation of Tehran but later denied reports he had rushed back to Washington to work on a ceasefire. Israel's air campaign on the Iranian capital appeared to broaden on the fourth day of an intensifying conflict after it issued warnings on Monday for about 300,000 people in Tehran to evacuate ahead of airstrikes. People were seen leaving the city Tuesday morning as shops and the historic Grand Bazaar were closed. Iranian authorities insist everything is under control and no guidance has been issued. Here's the latest: ___ People seen leaving Tehran As the sun rose Tuesday on Iran, the downtown area of Tehran, the country's capital, appeared to be beginning to empty out. Many shops in the capital stood closed. The city's ancient Grand Bazaar was closed, something that's rarely done, like during demonstrations or during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. On the roads out of Tehran to the west, traffic stood bumper to bumper. Many appeared to be heading to the Caspian Sea area, with local reports suggesting there were some diversions. Long lines also could be seen at gas stations operating in Tehran. Iran's capital, Tehran, is home to some 10 million people. That's roughly the same population for the entirety of Israel. It remained unclear how the city could be evacuated. Authorities within Iran's government continued to insist everything was under control and did not offer any guidance for the public on what to do. G7 leaders call for de-escalation but insist Iran must not get nukes Leaders of the Group of Seven countries meeting in Canada signed a joint statement calling for de-escalation of fighting between Israel and Iran while reaffirming that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear bomb. The statement reads: 'We, the leaders of the G7, reiterate our commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East. 'In this context, we affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. 'We also affirm the importance of the protection of civilians. 'Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror. 'We have been consistently clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. '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. 'We will remain vigilant to the implications for international energy markets and stand ready to coordinate, including with like-minded partners, to safeguard market stability.'
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Israel's strikes on Tehran broaden as Trump issues ominous warning
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel appeared to be expanding its air campaign on Tehran five days after its surprise attack on Iran's military and nuclear program, as U.S. President Donald Trump posted an ominous message warning residents of the city to evacuate. 'IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,' Trump wrote Monday night before returning to Washington early from a Group of Seven summit in Canada. 'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' he added. Earlier, the Israeli military had called for some 330,000 residents of a neighborhood in the city center to evacuate. Tehran is one of the largest cities in the Middle East, with around 9.5 million people. Israel says its sweeping assault on Iran's top military leaders, nuclear scientiests, uranium enrichment sites and ballistic missile program is necessary to prevent its longtime adversary from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon. The strikes have killed at least 224 people since Friday. Iran has retaliated by launching more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 wounded. The back-and-forth has raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval. Trump leaves G7 early to focus on conflict Before leaving the summit in Canada, Trump joined the other leaders in a joint statement saying Iran 'can never have a nuclear weapon' and calling for a 'de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.' Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth headed to the White House Situation Room to meet with the president and his national security team. Hegseth didn't provide details on what prompted the meeting but said on Fox News late Monday that the movements were to 'ensure that our people are safe.' Israeli strikes on Tehran broaden Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Monday that his country's forces had 'achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran's skies.' The military said it destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, a third of Iran's total, including multiple launchers just before they launched ballistic missiles towards Israel. It also destroyed two F-14 fighter planes that Iran used to target Israeli aircraft, the military said. Israeli military officials also said fighter jets had struck 10 command centers in Tehran belonging to Iran's Quds Force, an elite arm of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran. Israel's military issued an evacuation warning to 330,000 people in a part of central Tehran that houses the country's state TV and police headquarters, as well as three large hospitals, including one owned by the Guard. Israel's military has issued similar evacuation warnings for parts of the Gaza Strip and Lebanon ahead of strikes. Health authorities reported that 1,277 people were wounded in Iran. Iranians also reported fuel rationing. Rights groups such as the Washington-based Iranian advocacy group Human Rights Activists have suggested that the Iranian government's death toll is a significant undercount. The group says it has documented more than 400 people killed, among them 197 civilians. Israel says strikes have set back nuclear program Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli strikes have set Iran's nuclear program back a 'very, very long time,' and told reporters he is in daily touch with Trump. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful, and the U.S. and others have assessed that Tehran has not had an organized effort to pursue a nuclear weapon since 2003. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that the country has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs should it choose to do so. 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 (14,000-kilogram) GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a U.S. bunker-busting bomb that uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets. Israel does not have the munition or the bomber needed to deliver it. The penetrator is currently delivered by the B-2 stealth bomber. No sign of conflict letting up Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, appeared to make a veiled plea Monday for the U.S. to step in and negotiate an end to hostilities between Israel and Iran. In a post on X, Araghchi wrote that if Trump is 'genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential.' Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. 'It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu,' Iran's top diplomat wrote. 'That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy.' The message to Washington was sent as the latest talks between the U.S. and Iran were canceled over the weekend after Israel's surprise bombardment. On Sunday, Araghchi said that Iran will stop its strikes if Israel does the same. ___ Lidman reported from Jerusalem and Melzer from Nahariya, Israel. Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi and Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Tara Copp in Washington contributed to this report.
