Calgary, Alberta (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s early return to Washington from the Group of 7 summit being held in the Canadian Rockies a day early “because of what’s going on in the Middle East,” the White House said Monday.
“President Trump will return to Washington tonight so he can attend to many important matters,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday evening. Trump had originally planned to remain in Canada until late Tuesday.
“President Trump had a great day at the G7, even signing a major trade deal with the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 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,” she wrote on X.
The summit had already generated a degree of division in the few hours Trump attended. He signaled his intention to not sign a joint statement drafted by G7 leaders calling for de-escalation between Israel and Iran, according to a person familiar with the matter, though officials preparing the document held out hope that he could eventually be convinced to add his name.
Hours later, Trump issued an ominous warning, telling Iranians to “immediately evacuate” their capital city in a social media post.
“Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” the president wrote on Truth Social, without saying why.
The message appeared designed to increase pressure on Iran to come to the negotiating table as its tit-for-tat with Israel continues. Speaking to reporters at the summit, Trump suggested he could soon strike a diplomatic agreement with Iran that would end the conflict.
“I think Iran basically is at the negotiating table where they want to make a deal, and as soon as I leave here, we’re going to be doing something,” Trump said without elaborating on what he would be doing.
Trump’s decision not to sign on to the statement set up an immediate divide with his counterparts as the summit was getting underway in the Canadian Rockies.
The draft statement, which had been spearheaded by European officials at the summit, says Israel has a right to defend itself and that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.
Hours before the conference was set to convene, talks were ongoing among the G7 delegations about language in the draft statement.
European officials, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, were hoping to finalize a consensus among the leaders about the Middle East situation alongside the summit’s host, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
But Trump, who has questioned the utility of multilateral organizations like the G7, intends for now to withhold his signature, preventing a show of resolve from the world’s leading democracies.
“Under the strong leadership of President Trump, the United States is back to leading the effort to restore peace around the world. President Trump will continue to work towards ensuring Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon,” a White House official said in response to a question about Trump’s plans when it came to the joint statement.
A senior White House official said Trump felt there was no reason at this time for him to sign on to the statement, given what he had already said publicly about the conflict between Israel and Iran. Asked whether a statement would demonstrate unity among world leaders on the issue, the senior official responded that Trump’s attendance at the summit, at the other leaders’ request, was his way of showing unity.
European officials were holding out hope that Trump’s mind could be changed on the joint statement, but they acknowledged his veto would scuttle hopes of demonstrating consensus on the issue.
“We’ll see in the end, it’ll be up to the American side to decide whether we’re going to have a G7 statement on the Middle East or not,” Stefan Kornelius, a spokesperson for the German government, told reporters gathered at the summit site.
A senior Canadian official said delegations representing the seven G7 leaders would continue to work on the language of the statement, and that European leaders in particular are still engaged in the hopes of reaching a consensus.
“This is not a done deal yet, this is something that will be discussed at the leader level. We expect that the bulk of that conversation will happen in the global security session this evening. It’s too early to speculate on what will or will not come out of that conversation,” the senior Canadian official said.
Questioned about US involvement in the conflict, Trump said it was his goal to ensure Iran doesn’t develop a nuclear weapon.
“I want to see no nuclear weapon in Iran, and we’re well on our way to making sure that happens,” he said. Asked if he believed Israel could suppress the nuclear threat posed by Iran without US help, Trump responded: “It’s irrelevant. Something’s going to happen.”
Earlier Monday before the summit started, the president told reporters he believes Iran wishes to de-escalate its conflict with Israel.
“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, and 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,” he said as he met with Carney.
Trump issued a two-month ultimatum this spring for Iran to strike a nuclear deal or face consequences. On Friday — day 61 — Israel launched unprecedented strikes on Iran, targeting its nuclear program and military leaders.
The US president declined to say what, if anything, would prompt US military involvement in the conflict.
“I don’t want to talk about that,” he said, remaining vague when pressed on what intelligence the US is providing Israel.
Trump’s counterparts at the G7 planned to press the US leader on his strategy for dealing with Israel and Iran, officials from multiple delegations said, as the spiraling Middle East conflict shadows the first day of the summit.
It’s not clear to European officials what makes Trump confident that talks can continue, given the scale and scope of Israel’s attacks.
Given US influence over Israel, Trump’s fellow leaders want a clearer picture of how long the US intends to allow the conflict to continue, or whether Trump plans to apply pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to de-escalate, the officials said.
Already, a difference has emerged between Trump and Macron over a role for Russian President Vladimir Putin to play in mediating the conflict.
After a phone call with Putin this weekend, Trump said Sunday he believed the Russian leader could act as a mediator. But Macron dismissed the idea during a visit to Greenland, saying Moscow’s own violation of the UN Charter in Ukraine disqualified it from acting as a peace broker.
The two men’s differences over Putin were on full display Monday during Trump’s first public appearance at the G7, where he criticized of the bloc for ejecting Russia 11 years ago.
It was a combative opening to the president’s outing in Canada, where he was set to meet with fellow leaders for two days on a wide range of subjects.
“Barack Obama and a person named Trudeau didn’t want to have Russia in. And I would say that that was a mistake, because I think you wouldn’t have a war right now if you had Russia in,” Trump said during his meeting with Carney.
Russia was removed from the then-G8 after annexing Crimea in 2014. Justin Trudeau, whom Trump criticized repeatedly Monday for deciding to omit Russia, become prime minister a year later.
“They threw Russia out, which I claimed was a very big mistake, even though I wasn’t in politics,” Trump said. He said not having Putin at the table “makes life more complicated.”
When later asked about Putin joining, he said, “I’m not saying he should at this point, because too much water has gone over the dam.”
CNN’s Paula Newton, Kristen Holmes, DJ Judd and Kaitlan Collins contributed to this report.
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