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. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care what she said. I think they were very close to having one,\u201d Trump said of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who is slated to testify in a closed-door hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s capital, Trump said, \u201cI want people to be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not looking for a ceasefire, we\u2019re looking at better than a ceasefire,\u201d Trump said. The president said he was aiming for \u201can end, a real end, not a ceasefire, a real end\u201d and a \u201ccomplete give-up\u201d by Iran. <\/p>\n
The war between the Middle East adversaries<\/a> broke out last week when Israel launched a barrage of strikes, targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and killing some of Iran\u2019s top military leaders in an unprecedented attack that upended Trump\u2019s push for a nuclear deal with Iran. Tehran retaliated with strikes<\/a> that hit Tel Aviv and other Israeli locations.<\/p>\n So far, thousands of people in both countries have been injured, with more than two dozen killed in Israel and hundreds dead in Iran.<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n \u201cIran should have signed the \u2018deal\u2019 I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life,\u201d he posted on Truth Social. \u201cSimply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!\u201d<\/p>\n The president had previously indicated Iran may have a \u201csecond chance\u201d<\/a> at reaching a nuclear deal, but his Monday night posts and his swift return to Washington could signal further escalation on the horizon. <\/p>\n That also comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled Monday that he would leave the door open to taking out Iran\u2019s supreme leader. <\/p>\n As the Middle Eastern conflict presses on, Trump faces persistent questions about potential U.S. involvement. He told ABC News<\/a> on Sunday that the U.S. is \u201cnot at this movement involved,\u201d but that \u201cit\u2019s possible\u201d the U.S. steps in \u2014 and he\u2019s said the U.S. will keep supporting<\/a> Israel\u2019s defenses. <\/p>\n But the president brushed aside<\/a> a question Monday about what it would take for the U.S. military to intervene, saying, \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAmerican Forces are maintaining their defensive posture & that has not changed. We will protect American troops & our interests,\u201d Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell posted Monday on X<\/a>, in a signal that the U.S. military posture had not changed.<\/p>\n Trump early Tuesday warned against Iran targeting U.S. assets, telling reporters that \u201cwe\u2019ll come down so hard \u2014 it\u2019d be gloves off.”<\/p>\n 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 \u201cdepends on what happens when I get back.\u201d <\/p>\n Upon his return to D.C., Trump said he\u2019d be monitoring developments from the Situation Room<\/a>, where he\u2019s reportedly directed<\/a> his national security team to gather. <\/p>\n 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\u2019d been slated to hold additional meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and others before departing. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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<\/p>\n