President Trump was back at the White House on Tuesday, telling reporters that he left the G7 in Canada a day early to work on what he called a “real end” to Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump said he is seeking more than a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, and stated that he might send his special envoy Steve Witkoff and Vice President Vance to negotiate with Iranian authorities—though he said he’s not sure yet.
“It depends on what happens when I get back,” he told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One. “I don’t know. I’m not in much of a mood to negotiate.”
Trump departed at the end of the first day of the G7 summit in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, where Iran-Israel attacks dominated the discussions, with leaders agreeing to a joint statement on the conflict.
The White House abruptly announced that Trump would leave early shortly after Trump posted a grave warning on social media saying that “Everyone should evacuate Tehran immediately!”
Questioned by reporters if he had seen a specific threat that prompted his call to evacuate, Trump said: “There are many bad things happening there. No, I think it’s safer for them to evacuate.”
G7 leaders, including Trump, called for a resolution to the crisis. The G7 leaders agreed on a joint statement on the conflict, saying that “Israel has the right to defend itself” and that Iran, the “main source of regional instability and terror … can never have a nuclear weapon.”
“We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis lead to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza,” the leaders said in the statement.
The leaders had been trying to draft a statement on the crisis throughout Monday, but it wasn’t clear if Trump would be willing to sign it. Trump told reporters he hadn’t seen the final statement but had “authorized them to say certain things.”
“I don’t know if they said it correctly or not, but I think probably yes,” he said.
Trump said he didn’t think Iran would attack US assets in the region because of the risk of retaliation.
“Oh, we’re going to come down hard. If they do anything to ours, we’re going to come down hard. Then the gloves come off so nicely,” Trump said. “I think they know they shouldn’t touch our troops. We’ll see.”
Source: www.npr.org By Danielle Kurtzleben