Strikes between Israel and Iran stretched into a fifth day Tuesday, as President Trump made an early departure from the Group of 7 (G7) summit amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Trump was peppered with questions overnight on his flight back to Washington on everything from potential U.S. military involvement to why he ordered Iranians to evacuate Tehran, and his response to his own director of national intelligence telling a congressional committee recently that the U.S. intelligence community did not believe Iran was building a nuclear weapon.
“I don’t care what she said. I think they were very close to having one,” Trump said of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who is slated to testify in a closed-door hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
Trump continued to insist Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon when asked how much, if any, U.S. military help might he might lend to Israel. When asked if an imminent threat was on the horizon in echoing a warning for people to flee Iran’s capital, Trump said, “I want people to be safe.”
Upon leaving the G7, Trump disputed the notion he was departing the summit to reach a ceasefire deal with Iran, something French President Emmanuel Macron had earlier suggested.
“I’m not looking for a ceasefire, we’re looking at better than a ceasefire,” Trump said. The president said he was aiming for “an end, a real end, not a ceasefire, a real end” and a “complete give-up” by Iran.
The war between the Middle East adversaries broke out last week when Israel launched a barrage of strikes, targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and killing some of Iran’s top military leaders in an unprecedented attack that upended Trump’s push for a nuclear deal with Iran. Tehran retaliated with strikes that hit Tel Aviv and other Israeli locations.
So far, thousands of people in both countries have been injured, with more than two dozen killed in Israel and hundreds dead in Iran.
Trump lamented Monday that the death and destruction was due to Iran not signing an agreement on a nuclear deal within a 60-day deadline Trump said he had imposed.
“Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life,” he posted on Truth Social. “Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”
The president had previously indicated Iran may have a “second chance” at reaching a nuclear deal, but his Monday night posts and his swift return to Washington could signal further escalation on the horizon.
That also comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled Monday that he would leave the door open to taking out Iran’s supreme leader.
As the Middle Eastern conflict presses on, Trump faces persistent questions about potential U.S. involvement. He told ABC News on Sunday that the U.S. is “not at this movement involved,” but that “it’s possible” the U.S. steps in — and he’s said the U.S. will keep supporting Israel’s defenses.
But the president brushed aside a question Monday about what it would take for the U.S. military to intervene, saying, “I don’t want to talk about that.”
“American Forces are maintaining their defensive posture & that has not changed. We will protect American troops & our interests,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell posted Monday on X, in a signal that the U.S. military posture had not changed.
Trump early Tuesday warned against Iran targeting U.S. assets, telling reporters that “we’ll come down so hard — it’d be gloves off.”
The president also said he was considering sending Vice President Vance and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to negotiate with Iranian leaders, noting it “depends on what happens when I get back.”
Upon his return to D.C., Trump said he’d be monitoring developments from the Situation Room, where he’s reportedly directed his national security team to gather.
Trump had arrived for the summit in Canada late Sunday, then met with leaders of Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and the European Commission on Monday. He’d been slated to hold additional meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and others before departing.