US President Donald Trump said his early departure from the Group of Seven leaders meeting in Canada has “nothing to do” with working on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, instead saying his reason is “much bigger than that”.
“Publicity seeking President Emmanuel Macron, of France, mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a ‘cease fire’ between Israel and Iran. Wrong!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post sent at 1.15am Washington time on Tuesday, shortly after boarding Air Force One for a flight to the US capital.
“He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that,” Trump wrote. “Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay Tuned!”
Trump hasn’t clearly spelled out his next steps as he returns to the US capital.
While world leaders met in Alberta, Israel continued to bombard Iran in a bid to disable its nuclear programme. And Iran fired masses of missiles and launched drones at Israel in retaliation.
Trump earlier Monday warned residents of Tehran to evacuate the city, while also telling Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions and seek a deal.
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Macron previously suggested to reporters in Canada Monday that Trump’s early departure from the G-7 meeting could mean a positive development in the ongoing conflict, saying that “if the US can obtain a ceasefire that is a good thing”.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was leaving for Washington “so he can attend to many important matters”, and in a follow-up post on X said the departure was due to “what’s going on in the Middle East”.
