‘Immediately evacuate Tehran!’ Trump warns Iran amid escalating tensions in Middle East

US President Donald Trump on Monday (Jun 17) urged residents of Tehran to leave, reiterating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's warnings amid the military conflict between Israel and Iran.

"Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social account during a Group of Seven summit in Canada, without providing further details.

“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,” the US president said.

This comes minutes later Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth announced that the United States is reinforcing its military presence in the Middle East to enhance its “defensive posture” as the deadly conflict between Israel and Iran continued for the fourth night.

“Over the weekend, I directed the deployment of additional capabilities to the United States Central Command Area of Responsibility,” Hegseth posted on X. “Protecting US forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region.”

Shortly after, the White House announced that Trump would be leaving the G7 summit a day early due to developments in the Middle East.

“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,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X.

According to Reuters, a US official said that Trump will not sign a draft statement from G7 leaders calling for de-escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict.

The draft statement, seen by Reuters, states that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon and that Israel has the right to defend itself. It also commits to safeguarding market stability, including energy markets. Canadian and European diplomats said that world leaders at the G7 summit in Canada are continuing discussions on the conflict in the Middle East.

Talking to reporters at the G7 summit in Canada, Trump expressed confidence that Iran would eventually sign a nuclear deal with the US, warning that Washington will be “doing something” once he leaves the international summit. He did not specify what possible actions the US plans to take.

“As soon as I leave here, we're going to be doing something. But I have to leave here.”

Trump also said that Iran was not winning its conflict with Israel and should re-enter negotiations “before it's too late”.

He reiterated Washington’s support for Israel, adding, “We’ve always supported Israel and Israel is doing very well here.”