President Trump returned to the White House on Tuesday (17), telling reporters that he left the G7 in Canada a day early to work on what he called a “real end” to the Iranian 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 — although he said he was not yet sure.
“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 really in the 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 Tehran earlier, shortly after Trump posted a severe alert on social media saying that “Everyone must evacuate Tehran immediately!”
Questioned by reporters if he had seen any specific threat that motivated him to call for the evacuation, Trump responded: “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 to a joint statement on the conflict, stating 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 reduction in hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza,” the leaders said in the statement.
The leaders tried to draft a statement on the crisis throughout Monday, but it was not clear if Trump would be willing to sign it. Trump told reporters he had not seen the final statement, but that he had “authorized them to say certain things.”
“I don’t know if they said it correctly or not, but I think they probably did,” he said.
Trump said he did not believe Iran would attack American assets in the region due to the risk of retaliation.
“Oh, we will act very strongly. If they do something to our people, we will act very strongly. Then, the gloves will come off so beautifully,” said Trump. “I think they know they shouldn’t touch our troops. We’ll find out.”
Source: www.npr.org By Danielle Kurtzleben