French President Emmanuel Macron is in Canada For G7 Summit.
- Trump clarified his G7 exit was unrelated to the Israel-Iran conflict
- Trump said French President Macron mischaracterized his departure as linked to ceasefire efforts
- The US remains in a defensive posture in the Middle East amid escalating Israel-Iran tensions.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that his early exit from the Group of Seven (G7) summit has nothing to do with the Israel-Iran conflict. The clarification came after French President Emmanuel Macron claimed that the US leader was considering the prospect of a ceasefire between Tehran and Jerusalem, as the deadly conflict between the two warring enemies entered the fifth day.
Trump said hefty departure had "nothing to do" with working on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, adding France's leader, Emmanuel Macron, was "wrong" in how he described the exit.
"Publicity seeking President Emmanuel Macron, of France, mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to DC to work on a 'cease fire' between Israel and Iran," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that. Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay Tuned!"
Earlier, speaking to reporters at the G7 summit in Canada, Macron said that he didn't believe the situation in the Middle East would change soon, but "since the US assured they will find a ceasefire and since they can pressure Israel, things may change".
Describing Trump's early exit from the G7 summit as a positive development, the French President said, "Right now I believe negotiations need to restart and that civilians need to be protected."
Macron also called on both Israel and Iran to "end" attacking civilians, saying, "All who have thought that by bombing from the outside you can save a country in spite of itself have always been mistaken."
Trump's Early Exit From G7
Trump on Tuesday made a hasty exit from the Group of Seven (G7) summit early as he hinted at greater involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict and warned Tehran residents to evacuate. The US President, who has praised Israel's strikes despite his stated preference for diplomacy, said Iran would be "foolish" not to agree to a negotiated settlement.
"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," Trump told reporters before leaving Canada.
US forces in the Middle East remain in a defensive posture, a White House spokesman stressed.
Israel-Iran Conflict And The Stand Of The G7
A major conflict broke out in the Middle East after Israel struck nuclear and military sites in Iran and killed Tehran's leading commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran responded with its own volley of drones and missiles at Israel.
Canada and European leaders had hoped to draft a G7 statement on the crisis, but diplomats said that Trump had not committed the United States to joining it.
Leaders of the club of industrialised democracies -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States -- have mostly backed Israel, but concern has mounted as the violence intensifies.
