KANANASKIS, ALBERTA – JUNE 16: (L-R) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Kier Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Union Council President Antonio Costa and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba participate in a meeting at the G7 Leaders’ Summit on June 16, 2025 in Kananaskis, Alberta.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said his early departure from the Group of Seven summit was owed to “much bigger” things than planning a ceasefire between Tel Aviv and Tehran, after urging people to “immediately evacuate Tehran.”
The conflict also prompted a joint statement from G7 leaders, affirming support for Israel, while calling for a resolution to the escalating tensions in the Middle East.
“We affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel,” G7 leaders said in a joint statement focused on the Middle East conflict.
Israel and Iran have been trading missiles since Friday, when the former launched a series of airstrikes against Iran, targeting locations it said were related to Tehran’s nuclear program.
The G7 condemned Iran for being the “principal source of regional instability and terror,” reiterating the stance that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.
Trump’s latest social media post was in response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments on Monday that Trump had made an offer for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
“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,” Trump said in a social media post Tuesday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said Monday that Trump would leave the summit early to return to Washington due to “what’s going on in the Middle East.”
Shortly after that, Trump in a post on Truth Social called on Iranian civilians to “immediately evacuate Tehran,” adding that “Iran should have signed the deal I told them to sign.”
In their joint statement, leaders of the world’s largest advanced economies called for a resolution to the “Iranian crisis” and a “broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.”
In a sign that the conflict was far from nearing a resolution, Israel’s military claimed Tuesday that it had eliminated Ali Shadmani, who it identified as Iran’s “war-time” chief of staff and top military commander.
The G7 economies comprise the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, and this year’s summit also invited leaders from the European Union, India, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Ukraine and South Korea. The annual gathering seeks to facilitate consensus on the most pressing global economic and geopolitical challenges and to coordinate responses.
The G7 nations’ stance contrasted with that of China which has condemned Israel’s attack on Iran while seeking to play up its role as a peacemaker in the Middle East region. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told both Israeli and Iranian leaders last week that China was ready to play a constructive role in de-escalating the situation.
Among the key agenda this year was also Trump’s tariff policy that has darkened the outlook for global economic growth.
The U.S. president has put new duties on all of his G7 counterparts since he took office, though later putting a majority of them on a 90-day suspension, allowing time for negotiations.
Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday signed an agreement to finalize the trade deal reached between the two allies last month, making Britain the first country to secure a deal with the U.S. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba however told reporters that the country was not able to seal a deal with Trump but both sides will continue further trade talks.
There is also the thorny issue of support for Ukraine, or Russia’s rehabilitation, with Trump indicating that he was in no rush to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, dismissing pressure from allied leaders eager to do more to push Moscow to the negotiating table.
Speaking alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier Monday, Trump said the group, earlier known as G8, made a mistake when it expelled Russia in 2014.
“This was a big mistake,” Trump said, adding that he believed Russia would not have invaded Ukraine in 2022 had Putin not been ejected.