Onboard flight, Donald Trump's ‘a real end, not a ceasefire’ remark amid Israel-Iran conflict
Donald Trump departed the G7 summit early, advocating for a definitive resolution to the Iran nuclear issue.
US President Donald Trump left the Group of Seven or G7 leaders meeting in Canada early amid the Israel-Iran conflict, saying he wanted a "real end" to the nuclear dispute with Iran.
Asked by reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday what that would entail, Donald Trump replied a permanent end to the nuclear dispute with Iran would be the goal.
“An end. A real end. Not a ceasefire. An end,” the US president said.
Trump also indicated that he may send senior American officials such as Steven Witkoff, his special envoy for the Middle East, or Vice President JD Vanceto to meet with the Islamic Republic as the Israel-Iran air war raged for a fifth straight day.
The US President hasn’t clearly spelt out his next steps. He left open the possibility of further talks on Iran’s atomic activities after five earlier rounds, but continued to hammer the idea that Tehran is at fault for not having reached a deal that would have prevented Israel’s attacks.
“I told them to do the deal, they should have done the deal,” Trump said when asked if he’s open to negotiating with Iran. “So I don’t know,” Trump continued. “I am not too much in the mood to negotiate,” he said.
Israel and Iran continued to strike one another for a fifth consecutive day. Israel said it saw a drop-off in Iranian fire on Tuesday, with a military spokesperson saying “a few dozen” missiles had been launched since midnight compared with the hundreds seen over the weekend.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said, meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could face the same fate as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a US-led invasion and was eventually hanged after a trial.
"I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and fire missiles at Israeli citizens," Katz told top Israeli military officials.
Speaking to reporters after his departure from Canada, where he attended the Group of Seven nations summit on Monday, Trump predicted that Israel would not be easing its attacks on Iran.
"You're going to find out over the next two days. You're going to find out. Nobody's slowed up so far," he said.
He said "I may", on the prospect of sending U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff or Vice President JD Vance to meet with Iran.
Washington has said Trump was still aiming for a nuclear deal with Iran, even as the military confrontation unfolds.
World leaders meeting at the Group of Seven summit called for a de-escalation of the worst-ever conflict between the regional foes, saying Iran was a source of instability and must never have a nuclear weapon while affirming Israel's right to defend itself.
Trump, who left the summit early due to the Middle East situation, said his departure had "nothing to do with" working on a deal between Israel and Iran after French President Emmanuel Macron said the US had initiated a ceasefire proposal.
(With inputs from Reuters, Bloomberg)
