BBC News, Toronto
US President Donald Trump has cut short his visit to the Group of Seven summit in Canada, with the White House saying he must return to Washington to deal with the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel.
“I have to be back early for obvious reasons,” Trump said, as reports circulated he had instructed the White House National Security Council to meet upon his return.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier announced the “deployment of additional capabilities” to the Middle East to enhance the Pentagon’s “defensive posture” in the region.
But American officials rejected suggestions that the US was about to join Israeli offensive operations against Iran.
The White House was at pains to emphasise that Trump had “a great day” at the summit, saying much was accomplished, including a trade deal between the US and UK.
But the president’s press secretary said he was leaving the gathering of world leaders at Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies after dinner on Monday night because of “what’s going on in the Middle East”. She did not elaborate.
It means the US president will miss in-person meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum that were scheduled for Tuesday, the final day of the summit.
At a photo session on Monday, Trump said it was important he return to Washington for “big stuff”.His departure came as Israel and Iran attacked each other for a fifth straight day.
Earlier the president posted on social media that Iran should have signed a deal that he put forward to them in the most recent round of US-Iran nuclear talks.
“Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” he wrote. “I said it over and over again!”
Trump also urged Iranians on his social media platform Truth Social to “immediately evacuate” their capital, Tehran, a city of up to 17 million people. He did not offer further details.
Shortly afterwards, Iranian media reported explosions and heavy air defence fire in Tehran early on Tuesday. That came hours after Israel targeted Iran’s state broadcaster, forcing a presenter to flee mid-broadcast.
In Israel, air raid sirens wailed in Tel Aviv after midnight and an explosion was heard as Iranian missiles targeted the country again.
World leaders at the G7 summit said they understood Trump’s need to leave early.
“If the United States can achieve a ceasefire, that’s a very good thing,” said French President Emmanuel Macron.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Trump’s exit was “understandable”, despite the two being scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss tariffs.
The G7 faced division earlier over conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Iran.
Trump was planning to reject a summit statement on the Iran-Israel conflict, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS.
The draft called for de-escalation, included language about monitoring Iran, and urged both sides to protect civilians.
Trump also said at the summit that it had been a “big mistake” for the former G8 to expel Russia from the group in 2014 after it annexed Crimea.
“Putin speaks to me,” said the US president. “He doesn’t speak to anybody else… he’s not a happy person about it.”
But there was some progress as Trump and British Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer signed a deal on tariffs.
Trump told reporters the UK was “very well protected” from future import taxes. “You know why? Because I like them.”
Monday also saw a bilateral between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Trump, after which Carney said a trade deal might be struck between the two countries within 30 days to resolve tit-for-tat import taxes.
This marks the second time that Trump had left the G7 summit early. In 2018, at a summit in Quebec, Trump left the gathering to meet North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un.
Israel has claimed control of Iranian airspace since launching its air war last Thursday with a surprise attack that it says has killed many top military commanders and atomic scientists.
However, Israel does not appear to have achieved its goal of destroying Iran’s nuclear development programme.
Military analysts say only the US has the bombers and bunker-busting bombs that can penetrate the deepest of Iranian nuclear facilities, especially that of Fordow.
Israeli strikes have killed at least 224 people in Iran, according to the Iranian health ministry. In Israel, the government said at least 24 people had died.
