President Trump cut short his trip to Canada for a meeting with world leaders and took off for Washington late Monday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was due to “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.
Asked on Monday why he’s leaving the summit, Mr. Trump said, “I have to be back early for obvious reasons.”
As Air Force 1 taxied before departing Canada, Mr. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that his early return to the capital wasn’t related to any Israel-Iran ceasefire talks. French President Emmanuel Macron had brought up the possibility of a ceasefire earlier, drawing criticism from Mr. Trump.
“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,” Mr. Trump wrote.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also heading back to Washington, a State Department spokesperson told CBS News.
The U.S. is not joining Israel’s military offensive, U.S. officials told CBS News Monday evening. Despite reports that Mr. Trump asked the National Security Council and Situation Room to be readied upon his return to the White House, Cabinet members in the National Security Council are already on standby 24 hours a day — including since Israel’s strikes on Iran began last week.
A spokesperson for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office told CBS News the country “was informed of President Trump’s departure through official channels prior to the White House’s public announcement.”
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 rejected a plan raised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to kill Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Israeli leader was asked Monday in an interview with ABC News if he planned to target Khamenei.
“Look, we’re doing what we need to do,” he told ABC News‘ Jonathan Karl. Karl, noting that Mr. Trump had rejected the idea, told Netanyahu that the president feared that assassinating Iran’s supreme leader would escalate the conflict.
“It’s not going to escalate the conflict,” Netanyahu contended. “It’s going to end the conflict.” He blamed Iran for “bringing us to the brink of nuclear war,” and said that “in fact, what Israel is doing is preventing this, bringing an end to this, this aggression, and we can only do so by standing up to the forces of evil.”
The Trump administration has also 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, convening 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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