Trump Leaves G7 Summit Early to Address US Response to Israel-Iran Conflict
US President Donald Trump has departed the G7 summit in Canada a day earlier than planned to manage America’s response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. The move comes as world leaders called for a resolution to the conflict and a "broader de-escalation" in the Middle East.
According to a report by the Financial Times, the joint statement agreed upon by G7 leaders late on Monday urged Iran to never have a nuclear weapon and called for a ceasefire in Gaza. The statement also pledged coordination to maintain the stability of global energy markets.
"We have been consistently clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon," the G7 leaders said, as reported by the Financial Times. "We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza."
The statement was agreed upon as Trump prepared to depart the summit, missing the final sessions of the gathering on Tuesday, including one on the war in Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "I have to be back as soon as I can," Trump told reporters late on Monday, as cited by the Financial Times. "I wish I could stay for tomorrow, but they understand. This is big stuff."
Senior Trump administration officials said the US remained in a "defensive" posture in the Middle East, suggesting Iran still had time to reach an agreement with Washington over its nuclear programme. French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump told G7 leaders that discussions were under way to obtain a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
"An offer was indeed made, mainly to achieve a ceasefire and to launch broader discussions," Macron told reporters, according to the Financial Times. Iran has said it will only agree to negotiate an end to the war with Israel and resume talks over its nuclear programme if Israeli forces halt their bombing campaign, according to diplomats.
The conflict between Israel and Iran has continued to escalate, with Israel launching waves of missiles into Iran since it began its attack early on Friday, including a strike on IRIB, an Iranian state broadcaster on Monday. Iran has retaliated by launching several volleys of missiles across Israel, with both sides sustaining casualties.
Trump has taken a hawkish stance on the conflict, writing on Truth Social earlier on Monday, "Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again!" He also tweeted, "Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran !"
The comments were cheered on by prominent Republican Iran hawks, including Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator, who was satisfied that Trump had thrown down the gauntlet on Tehran. However, any direct US military action risks widening the rift in Trump’s base over national security, after he campaigned on a platform of global peacemaking rather than interventionism.
Democrats have already warned Trump that he needed congressional authorisation if US forces were to participate in any operations against Iran. "There is no imminent threat to America from Iran. He cannot take this action without congressional authorisation," Chris Murphy, the Democratic senator from Connecticut, wrote on X, as reported by the Financial Times.
In recent days, the US has built up its presence in the Middle East, deploying additional military assets to the region. The Pentagon on Monday sent the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group to the region "to sustain our defensive posture and safeguard American personnel", according to a US defence official.
The Financial Times reports that the strike group, which consists of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and three guided-missile destroyers, had been in the South China Sea, according to MarineTraffic, a ship tracking website. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said he had directed the deployment of additional capabilities "to the United States Central Command Area of Responsibility" over the weekend, according to his post on X on Monday.
As the situation continues to unfold, Trump has vowed that "the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before" if Iran attacks the US in any way. The development has sparked concerns about the potential for a wider conflict in the region and the impact on global security.
Source: Financial Times
