President Donald Trump has declared he wants a ‘real end’ to Iran’s nuclear ambitions and warned that the US will join Israel’s war and ‘come down hard’ on Tehran if provoked.
Trump last night refused to sign a joint statement with fellow G7 leaders calling for de-escalation in the conflict before storming out of the summit, saying he had to get back to Washington early ‘for obvious reasons’.
Speaking on Air Force One, the President told reporters that he ‘didn’t say I was looking for a ceasefire’ and instead wants ‘a real end,’ with Iran ‘giving up entirely’ on nuclear weapons.
‘The Israelis aren’t slowing up their barrage on Iran,’ CBS reports him as saying. ‘You’re going to find out over the next two days. You’re going to find out. Nobody’s slowed up so far.’
Meanwhile Israeli media reported that the US is preparing to join an attack on Iran ‘if President Donald Trump gives the green light.’
An unidentified official told i24 News that ‘US Central Command thinks it should join, but there are senior officials in the administration who are currently opposing the move.’
Washington is seemingly gearing up for confrontation in the Middle East, with a carrier strike group and three destroyers in the Arabian Sea and the USS Nimitz expected to arrive in the region in the coming days.
Trump earlier called for the ‘immediate evacuation of Tehran’ and branded Iran ‘foolish’ for not signing a deal with the US on its nuclear program before Israeli strikes began.
It comes as the war between the arch foes enters its fifth day and Israel ramps up attacks aimed at destroying Iran’s contested nuclear work.
Earlier this morning, Israel announced that it had assassinated Iran’s wartime chief of staff, the closest official to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, just days after his predecessor was killed in strikes.
Trump refused to sign joint statement with G7 leaders then left summit early
Donald Trump refused to sign a joint statement with fellow G7 leaders calling for de-escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict, an official confirmed last night.
The US president then left the summit in Calgary, Canada, early, with pictures showing him jetting off on Air Force One.
He said he had to get back to Washington early ‘for obvious reasons’.
Trump later lambasted French President Emmanuel Macron for suggesting he had left in order to negotiate a ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran.
He furiously denied and ominously said his exit was for a ‘much bigger’ reason.
Israel intelligence chief says Iran campaign will be expanded
The chief of Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate, Major General Shlomi Binder, told officers that they will soon ‘break ground” in other areas of Iran after the IDF paved the way to Tehran.’
‘You brought the intelligence that paved the way to Tehran and enabled the strike on the Iranian general staff. Soon, you’ll break ground in additional areas. You’ve proven that you can push boundaries and reach any target,’ and IDF statement cites Binder as saying.
Referencing Israel’s continued offensive in Gaza, which has been raging for more than 600 days, he added: ‘Always remember that we are not fighting in just one arena. We’re fighting Iran, but our eyes are also on our hostages in Gaza and the various threats facing the soldiers on the frontlines and civilians on the home front.’
Pictures: Suffering continues in Gaza as 45 Palestinians killed waiting for aid
At least 45 Palestinians have been killed and dozens wounded by Israeli forces while waiting for aid in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, according to officials there.
‘Emergency, intensive care and operating rooms are overcrowded with the large number of casualties and deaths,’ said the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Pictures show traumatised people waiting for news of their loved ones and dead and injured men, women and children being brought to the al-Nasser hospital.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said yesterday that Israel’s ‘means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians in Gaza.’
More than 20 months of Israeli attacks have killed 55,362 Palestinians, according to figures released by the Hamas-run health ministry, who say tens of thousands of the dead are women and children.
Iran recalls all medical staff from time off
Iran has recalled all doctors and nurses from their time off, state media reports.
The country’s health ministry said on Sunday that Israeli attacks have killed at least 224 people and wounded more than 1,200. It has not issued an update since.
IDF reports ‘hostile aircraft infiltration’ in northern Israel
Israel’s Defence Forces have warned of a ‘hostile aircraft infiltration’ in the north of the country after Iran’s threat that it’s attacks would be ‘intensifying’ over the coming hours.
Drone and rocket alert sirens have reportedly been sounding in several areas in the northern Golan Heights, including Majdal Shams and Masa’ada.
