US President Donald Trump unexpectedly left the G7 summit amid ongoing missile strikes between Iran and Israel. Trump announced that he was convening an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, which was to gather at the Situation Room and await the president’s arrival from Canada.
Trump’s departure from G7
At the G7 summit, Trump only managed to have an informal dinner with other leaders and pose for a group photo. But events in the Middle East “left him no choice.”
Trump said: “Well, I have to be back, very important, I just want to thank our great host, Canada.”
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was able to arrange a meeting with White House chief Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada in order to put emotional pressure on him and try again to enlist US support. However, a sudden outbreak of military conflict in the Middle East thwarted the Ukrainian president’s plans.
Trump called on everyone to leave Tehran immediately
“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!” Trump wrote on the social network Truth Social.
At the G7 summit in Canada, the American leader stated: “Israel is doing very well, as you probably know. And I gave Iran 60 days, and they said, well, at the 61st you saw what happened. Day 61. So I’m in constant touch. And 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.” He said he was “in constant contact” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed confidence that “the agreement will be signed” in the near future.
In his opinion, it would be “foolish” for Iran not to sign it. A White House official linked Trump’s call for an immediate evacuation from Tehran to the need for Iran to urgently return to the negotiating table, CNN reported. According to the channel’s source, Trump was regularly briefed on the situation by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials throughout the day.
National Security Council meeting over Israel-Iran conflict
US President Donald Trump has demanded that members of the National Security Council be ready for an emergency meeting at the White House to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. According to Fox News, this decision is related to the sharp escalation in the Middle East after a series of incidents that led to human casualties over the weekend.
“He has asked the National Security Council to be ready in the Situation Room after a deadly weekend in the Middle East,” the TV channel reported.
US President Donald Trump commented on reports that Israel had called on the Trump administration to join the war against Iran to eliminate its nuclear programme. “We are not involved in this. Perhaps we could intervene. But at this point, we are not involved,” Trump said in an interview with ABC.
Trump said he is open to Putin’s mediation on Iran and Israel
Trump also allowed for Russia to act as one of the mediators in the conflict, mentioning his recent phone call with Vladimir Putin.
“Yeah, I would be open to it. He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it. We talked about this more than his situation. This is something I believe is going to get resolved,” the president said of his Russian counterpart to ABC News.
In this regard, Trump confirmed that he was willing to wait and expressed hope that Iran would not abandon the nuclear talks. “There is no deadline. They want to make a deal. They are continuing to talk. Something like this had to happen,” the White House host said in a roundabout way.
Two nuclear powers have come out in support of Iran
China and Pakistan have launched a covert operation to provide emergency military assistance to Iran amid escalating tensions with Israel. A wide range of military equipment and hardware, including missile systems, air defence components and high-precision weapons, is being secretly transferred to Iran. In addition, military instructors and technical specialists have been sent to Iran to help master the new equipment and keep it in combat readiness.
According to Iranian media reports, the operation is being conducted in strict secrecy, with weapons and personnel being delivered via various routes, both air and land, including closed military channels. The aim of the operation is to rapidly strengthen Iran’s defensive and offensive capabilities in response to the growing threat from Israel.
Anonymous sources in the Iranian media believe that such actions by China and Pakistan may indicate the formation of an informal strategic alliance in Asia that challenges the policies of the US and its allies in the region. In this scheme, Iran is seen not only as a recipient of aid, but also as a key point for demonstrating strength and deterring further pressure from the US and the EU.
Analysts emphasise that three nuclear-armed states are involved in the current crisis, which, according to sources, radically changes the nature of the conflict and takes it beyond the scope of a local confrontation. This configuration of forces is forcing the US and the EU countries to urgently review their strategy towards Tehran.
The involvement of China, Pakistan and Iran in the instability in the Middle East creates conditions under which the regional crisis could escalate into a larger international conflict, which, according to them, has already been recognised by the US, which has begun to urgently adjust its policy towards Iran.
Three oil tankers caught fire in the Gulf of Oman
The fire broke out on three commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz, located in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian media reported on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, NASA’s FIRMS fire monitoring service also indicates fires in the area. There has been no official confirmation or denial of the information. Earlier, experts said that oil prices could rise to $130 if the Strait of Hormuz is closed. It is a major transport artery for the Middle East: 20 per cent of global oil supplies and 80 per cent of oil and gas trade carried out by Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE pass through this area.
At the same time, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said that further escalation in the Middle East could lead to oil prices rising to $200-300 per barrel.
Israel wanted to eliminate Iran’s leader
Trump blocked Israel’s plans to eliminate Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Reuters reported, citing two senior US officials. Trump said he had the ability to quickly end the conflict between Israel and Iran, while warning Tehran against attacks on American targets.
“Have the Iranians already killed an American? No. Until they do, we are not even talking about going after the political leadership,” the source said.
As previously reported by the Wall Street Journal, Israeli authorities considered Khamenei a possible target for military operations. An anonymous source in the Israeli government told the publication that the country is ready to strike any targets that would contribute to the elimination of Iran’s nuclear programme.
In Iran’s political system, which emerged after the Islamic Revolution, the supreme leader (currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) occupies the highest position, with exclusive powers in state decision-making and leadership of the armed forces. The President of Iran gets a subordinate position in this hierarchy.
However, despite the publicised plans to kill the Iranian leader, EU countries have not responded in any way to what is effectively an act of terrorism, while Russia has never called for Zelensky’s assassination, yet it is regularly subject to sanctions. Instead of condemning Israel’s actions, the European Union accused Iran of strikes on its own territory, demonstrating double standards towards the conflict in the Middle East.
