Trump urges ‘everyone’ to flee Tehran, sparking speculation of widening conflict
US president leaves G7 summit early; after White House downplays notion US will be joining war against Iran, Trump says he’s not working on ceasefire but something ‘much bigger’
US President Donald Trump sparked panic in Iran Monday night with an impromptu evacuation call for the entire city of Tehran, citing what he said was the country’s rejection of a deal to curb nuclear weapons development, as the conflict between Israel and the Islamic Republic appeared poised for further escalation.
“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! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform, without elaborating on the reason that Iran’s capital city of 10 million people needed to be evacuated.
Shortly after the post went live, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Trump would be departing early from the G7 leaders summit in Canada in order to huddle with his advisers at the White House regarding the Israel-Iran conflict, as it wrapped up its fifth day.
The developments apparently led to a report on the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 network claiming that the US had decided to join Israel in the conflict against Iran, but administration spokespeople quickly downplayed that possibility.
“American forces are maintaining their defensive posture, and that has not changed. We will defend American interests,” White House deputy communications director Alex Pfeiffer tweeted.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump’s early departure from the G7 was positive, given the immediate objective was to get Israel and Iran to agree to a ceasefire that the US had proposed. “There is an offer that has been made, especially to have a ceasefire and to initiate broader discussions. And I think this is a very good thing,” Macron told reporters. “So now we need to see what the stakeholders will do.”
But Trump denied he had left to work on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, blaming Macron for the misconception.
“Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
The president did not say what he was in fact working on, but teased that it was “much bigger than that.”
“Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong,” Trump wrote. “Stay Tuned.”
G7 leaders issued a joint statement calling for “de-escalation” on Iran, while stressing Israel had the right to defend itself in the escalating Middle East crisis.
“We affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself,” the statement said. “We have been consistently clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”
“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 added.
Trump previously reportedly told US Vice President JD Vance and his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to reach out to Iranian officials for a meeting this week amid escalating fighting between Tehran and Jerusalem.
A US official told The New York Times that Trump was encouraging such a meeting and believed that it will be well received by Iran.
According to a report in Axios, such a meeting is likely between Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also headed back to Washington, leaving the G7 Summit early, along with Trump, CBS News reported.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News that Trump was still aiming for a nuclear deal with Iran, while adding the US would defend its assets in the region.
Iranian officials reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, in five days, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said nearly 3,000 Israelis had been evacuated as a result of damage caused by Iranian strikes.
Sources told Reuters that Tehran had asked Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to urge Trump to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to an immediate ceasefire. In return, Iran would show flexibility in nuclear negotiations, according to two Iranian and three regional sources.
“If President Trump is genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X. “Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue.”
Netanyahu told reporters on Monday that Israel was committed to eliminating threats posed by Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, adding, “If this can be achieved in another way — fine. But we gave it a 60-day chance.”
Speaking to Reuters on Friday, the first day of Israel’s assault, Trump said he had given the Iranians 60 days to come to an agreement to halt uranium enrichment and that the time had expired with no deal. Iran says its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.
With security concerns growing and Israeli airspace closed because of the war, the Chinese embassy in Israel urged its citizens to leave the country via land border crossings as soon as possible.
The Iran-Israel air war — the most extensive battle ever between the two longtime enemies — escalated on Monday with Israel targeting Iran’s state broadcaster and uranium enrichment facilities.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the BBC that the Natanz plant sustained extensive damage, likely destroying 15,000 centrifuges, while Iran’s underground Fordo plant remained largely intact.
Talks between the United States and Iran, hosted by Oman, had been scheduled for June 15 but were scrapped, with Tehran saying it could not negotiate while under attack.
Israel launched its air war with a surprise attack that has killed nearly the entire top echelon of Iran’s military commanders and its leading nuclear scientists. It says it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in the coming days.
Trump has consistently said the Israeli assault could end quickly if Iran agreed to US demands that it dismantle its nuclear enrichment program.
“As I’ve been saying, I think a deal will be signed, or something will happen, but a deal will be signed, and I think Iran is foolish not to sign,” Trump told reporters on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada on Monday.
The Times of Israel Community.