Trump urges Iranians to evacuate Tehran immediately

WASHINGTON,— U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday urged civilians to leave Tehran immediately and repeated his assertion that Iran should have signed a nuclear deal with the United States.

“Iran can not have a nuclear weapon. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

The statement came as military conflict between Israel and Iran entered its fifth straight day. Both sides have launched strikes, and international leaders at the G7 summit in Canada expressed concern over the escalation. The group called for restraint, described Iran as a destabilizing force, and reaffirmed that Israel has the right to defend itself.

Trump departed the summit early and dismissed speculation that he was involved in brokering a truce. French President Emmanuel Macron had earlier suggested the United States was behind a ceasefire proposal.

“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social late Monday.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an interview with Fox News that the administration continues to seek a nuclear agreement with Tehran, but emphasized that U.S. assets in the region would be protected.

According to Axios, White House officials have discussed a potential meeting this week between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Reuters could not independently confirm the report.

Iranian media reported explosions in Tehran early Tuesday and said air defense systems were engaged. Smoke was seen rising from the eastern part of the capital, reportedly following a strike by suspected Israeli missiles.

Asriran news website reported additional missile defense activity near Natanz, a location 320 kilometers from Tehran that houses key nuclear facilities.

Iran’s state television confirmed Israeli strikes on multiple locations, including the headquarters of the Iranian national broadcasting authority.

Broadcast footage captured the moment a news anchor fled her seat during a live segment as a blast occurred. Three people were reported killed in the strike.

Israel said its latest operations targeted Iranian missile launchers and weapons depots. In Tel Aviv, air raid sirens were heard after midnight and again in the morning. Multiple explosions followed.

Regional sources told Reuters that Iranian officials contacted Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to ask them to encourage President Trump to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into agreeing to a ceasefire. In exchange, Iran would show flexibility in nuclear talks, according to two Iranian and three regional officials.

“If President Trump is genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X. “Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue.”

Iran denies it is pursuing nuclear weapons and maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes under the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Israel is not a member of the NPT and is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, although it has neither confirmed nor denied this publicly.

Oil prices rose more than 2% in early Asian trading on Tuesday following Trump’s warning, rebounding from earlier losses.

Israeli airstrikes conducted last Friday killed 20 senior Iranian military figures.

Among those killed were Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, and Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

(With files from Reuters)