BEIJING, June 18 – US President Donald Trump wrote in Truth Social that “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” on Monday local time, without saying why. This comes as he left the G7 summit in Canada early to fly back to Washington due to the situation in the Middle East, CNN reported on Tuesday according to the Global Times.
In the post, US President also wrote that Iran should have signed the “deal” I told them to sign. “Simply sated, Iran can not have a nuclear weapon. I said it over and over again!” read the post.
Also, according to AP, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is headed to the White House situation room to meet with Trump and his national security team amid tensions in the Middle East.
It comes as the US has repositioned both warships and military aircraft in the region to respond if the conflict between Israel and Iran further escalates, AP reported.
A White House official told CNN on Monday that the US President’s social media post telling Iranians to “immediately evacuate Tehran” reflected the urgency of the need for Iran to come to the table as its tit-for-tat with Israel continues.
Israeli media outlet Ynetnews.com claimed Tuesday the unusually direct call coincided with Iranian media reports of explosions in the skies above Tehran and “heavy fire” from the country’s air defense systems. Iranian outlets also reported that air defenses were activated around the Natanz nuclear facility, according to Ynetnews.com.
Ynetnews.com on Monday also claimed in another report that “dozens of American military aerial-refueling aircraft left US shores heading east across the Atlantic Ocean early on Monday in an unprecedented deployment of the US Air Force.”
However, The Guardian reported Tuesday that the US defense ministry spokesperson have denied reports online that the US has joined attacks on Iran. “This is not true”, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote on X in response to one such post. In another, he wrote: “American Forces are maintaining their defensive posture & that has not changed. We will protect American troops & our interests.”
The Washington Post, citing US officials, reported Tuesday that the Pentagon is expanding its military presence in the Middle East and Europe in response to worsening hostilities between Israel and Iran, sending refueling planes and an additional aircraft carrier among the resources dispatched.
US media outlet NPR reported Tuesday that US President is leaving the G7 summit in Canada early to return to Washington to focus on the conflict in the Middle East.
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, CNN reported Monday.
