US President, Donald Trump sparked panic in Iran on Monday night by issuing an evacuation call for the entire city of Tehran as the conflict between Israel and the Islamic Republic appeared poised for further escalation.
“Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform.
Shortly after the post, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Trump would be departing early from the G7 leaders summit in Canada to meet with his advisers at the White House regarding the Israel-Iran conflict, as it enters the fifth day.
The president’s evacuation warning came after Israeli officials called for those in Tehran to evacuate earlier Monday ahead of its continued military campaign against Iran, which has included slews of missile exchanges between the conflicting countries.
The evacuation area includes an estimated 330,000 people in central Tehran, including Iran’s state television headquarters, police headquarters, and three key hospitals including one owned by the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
Iranian authorities dismissed Israel’s call for evacuation as nothing more than “psychological warfare.”
The G7 leaders issued a statement late Monday about the hostilities between Israel and Iran. Mr. Trump signed the statement, though U.S. officials had said earlier he didn't plan to.
It reads in part that they "affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel. We also affirm the importance of the protection of civilians. Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror. We have been consistently clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza."
In addition, the statement said, "We will remain vigilant to the implications for international energy markets and stand ready to coordinate, including with like-minded partners, to safeguard market stability."
