Donald Trump has called for a “complete give-up” by Iran and denied pursuing a ceasefire in the war between the Islamic republic and Israel.
In comments after leaving the G7 summit early to focus on the conflict, the US president called for a “real end” to the war rather than a temporary truce and predicted a further intensification of Israeli strikes.
Trump, on board on Air Force One, said a satisfactory end to the war could consist of Iran “giving up entirely” and added in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday that he had “not reached out to Iran for ‘Peace Talks’ in any way, shape, or form”.
Asked whether US involvement would destroy Iran’s nuclear programme, he said he hoped it would be “wiped out long before that”, adding: “They are not going to have a nuclear weapon.”
The US president said Israel was not slowing its assault on Iran. “You’re going to find out over the next two days. You’re going to find out. Nobody’s slowed up so far.”
He added: “I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate.”
Trump said he was seeking something “better than a ceasefire”, dismissing a statement from French President Emmanuel Macron, who said Trump had told G7 leaders that discussions to secure a ceasefire between the regional rivals were under way.
But Trump left open the possibility of US diplomacy, saying he “may” send his envoy Steve Witkoff or vice-president JD Vance to meet Iranian leaders but “it depends what happens when I get back”.
Washington has adopted a defensive posture so far in the conflict, according to US officials, but this has included helping Israel to shoot down incoming Iranian missiles and drones using US naval ships in the Mediterranean.
If the US were to intervene directly, it might deploy B-2 stealth bombers deployed in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities.
One such target could be the uranium enrichment facility at Fordow near the city of Qom, which is dug into a mountainside under dozens of metres of reinforced concrete.
It is thought to be impregnable to even the heaviest bunker-buster bombs that Israel has, and only vulnerable to the US Air Force’s 30,000lb massive ordnance penetrator dropped from its B-2 or B-52 heavy bombers.
Shortly before Trump’s departure, G7 countries including the US called for a resolution of the conflict and a “broader de-escalation” in the Middle East.
The president had initially resisted signing up to the G7 statement and has issued increasingly hawkish statements on the war.
But UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “There is nothing [Trump] said that suggests he’s about to get involved in this conflict. On the contrary, the G7 statement was about de-escalation.”
Iran has said it will only agree to negotiate an end to the conflict with Israel and resume talks over its nuclear programme if Israeli forces halt their bombing campaign, according to diplomats.
Israel has continued to launch waves of missiles into Iran since it began its attack on Friday. Iran has retaliated with volleys of missiles across Israel. Both sides have sustained casualties.