President Trump will cut short his trip to Canada for a meeting with world leaders and fly back to Washington late Monday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, citing “what’s going on in the Middle East.”
Mr. Trump arrived in Canada on Sunday for the annual G7 summit, and met with the leaders of Canada and the United Kingdom earlier Monday. But Leavitt said on X Monday night that the president would leave early, seeming to refer to the Israel-Iran conflict.
“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.
Leavitt said in a statement the president is returning to the capital to “attend to many important matters.”
The Middle East situation has been the focus of much of the summit already. During Mr. Trump’s meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the president said he had “spoken to everybody” regarding Israel and Iran.
“I’ve spoken to everybody. Israel is doing very well, as you probably noticed,” the president said, adding, “I think a deal will be signed or something will happen, but I think a deal will be signed. I think Iran is foolish not to sign one.”
After the Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Iran had sent messages to intermediaries indicating they want to de-escalate the conflict, Mr. Trump affirmed to reporters during his meeting with the Canadian prime minister that he was aware of the messages.
Asked by reporters what he’d heard from Iran, he replied, “They’d like to talk. But they should have done that before. I had 60 days and they had 60 days. And on the 61st day, I said, we don’t have a deal. They have to make a deal.” He went on to say, “It’s painful for both parties, but I’d say Iran is not winning this war. And they should talk, and they should talk immediately before it’s too late.”
The president’s sudden return to Washington comes as Israel and Iran trade airstrikes and missile attacks in the two foes’ most intense fighting in decades.
Israel has carried out multiple rounds of airstrikes since late last week, saying it is targeting Iran’s nuclear program, research scientists and top military officials. Iran has retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel.
On Monday, Israel struck Iranian state television in the capital of Tehran, and urged hundreds of thousands of residents of central Tehran to evacuate. Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”
The president and other American officials have said publicly and privately that the U.S. is not involved in Israel’s strikes on Iran, though Israel did tell the U.S. about the operation in advance, and the U.S. has helped Israel intercept Iranian missiles. CBS News has previously reported that Mr. Trump opposed a plan to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The administration has warned Iran against striking U.S. military bases in the region.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has urged Iran to sign a deal to limit the scope of its nuclear program, holding multiple rounds of talks that are now on hold. Iran has long denied any plans to build a nuclear weapon, though international watchdogs say it has increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in recent years. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long been skeptical of striking a deal with Iran.
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