Israel-Iran conflict live: Trump tells Tehran to ‘evacuate’ as Macron says US president has made ceasefire ‘offer’

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Earlier on Monday an Iranian newsreader was showered with rubble and her studio filled with dust live on air after an Israeli strike hit the national broadcaster.

Footage showed the newsreader fleeing from her desk at the offices of IRIB late on Monday.

The station later said its building was hit by four bombs. An anchor said on air that a few colleagues had been hurt, but their families should not be worried. The network said its live programmes were transferred to another studio.

Iran condemned the attack on a state television building in Tehran as a war crime, and called on the UN to take action.

The strike was a “wicked act” and a “war crime”, said a foreign ministry spokesperson. “The UN [security council] must act now to stop the genocidal aggressor from committing further atrocities against our people.”

Journalists are considered civilians under international humanitarian law and deliberately targeting them is a war crime.

After the strike, Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz wrote on X, “The propaganda and incitement broadcasting authority of the Iranian regime was attacked by the IDF after a widespread evacuation of nearby residents. Strike the Iranian dictator everywhere.”

“You probably see what I see and I have to be back as soon as I can,” Donald Trump said in an apparent nod to the intensifying conflict in the Middle East, when asked why he’s cutting short his G7 trip and heading back to Washington tonight.

President Trump has directed national security staff to convene in the situation room, both CNN and Fox News are reporting, citing a White House official. Trump will be leaving the G7 Summit in Canada early.

There are few other details available.

US defence spokespeople deny US is attacking Iran

US defence ministry spokespeople 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.

Hours before Trump’s post about evacuating Tehran, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that he had ordered the deployment of “additional capabilities” to the Middle East.

Hegseth did not disclose what military capabilities he sent to the region. But Reuters was the first to report earlier on Monday a deployment of a large number of US military refueling aircraft and the movement of an aircraft carrier to the Middle East.

In a post on social media Hegseth wrote:

Protecting US forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region.

Trump leaves G7 early citing situation in Middle East

Moments after Donald Trump’s social media post telling Tehran’s 9 million residents to evacuate, the White House announced he was leaving the G7 leaders summit in Canada early citing the situation in the Middle East.

“Much was accomplished, but because of what’s going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight after dinner with Heads of State,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X.

Trump was originally supposed to arrive back in the US in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to people familiar with the matter.

'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' Trump says

Donald Trump has said “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” hours after Israel issued an evacuation order to residents of a large part of Tehran on Monday.

“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!,” the US president said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

Washington and Tehran had been in the midst of nuclear negotiations when Israel launched its shock attack on Iran on Friday.

Tehran has a population of about 9 million and it’s currently just after 4am.

Hours before Trump’s comments Israeli forces had issued an evacuation order to residents of a large part of Tehran, warning them of the imminent bombing of “military infrastructure” in the area in a social media post very similar to those regularly directed at Palestinians in Gaza over the past 20 months.

The post on X was from the account of the Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic spokesperson, Col Avichay Adraee.

It is a further sign of the evolving nature of the Israeli campaign against Iran, which began with attacks on air defences, nuclear sites and the military chain of command, but appears to have drifted towards a war of attrition focused on Iran’s oil and gas industry and on the capital.

Opening summary

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Middle East.

Donald Trump has said “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” even as French President Emmanuel Macron said his US counterpart had made an offer for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

“There is indeed an offer to meet and exchange. An offer was made especially to get a ceasefire and to then kick-start broader discussions,” Macron told reporters at the G7.
“We have to see now whether the sides will follow.”

Macron’s remark came only an hour after Trump issued his evacuation warning, adding in a post on his social media platform Truth Social “Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life.”

Moments later the White House announced Trump was leaving the G7 leaders meeting in Canada early, citing the situation in the Middle East.

Washington and Tehran had been in the midst of nuclear negotiations when Israel launched its shock attack on Iran on Friday. Trump’s comments came hours after Israel issued an evacuation order to residents of a large part of Tehran.

Iran and Israel have exchanged waves of missiles since Friday. Iran says more than 224 Iranians have been killed, most of them civilians. Israel says 24 people have been killed, all of them civilians.

In other developments:

• Israel indicated that its attacks on Iran are unfinished, and that it would not rule out targeting the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in interviews with US media today. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Associated Press that Israeli strikes have set Iran’s nuclear program back a “very, very long time” and he would “not be surprised” if the attacks toppled the Iranian government. Speaking on ABC News, Netanyahu added that killing Khamenei would not “escalate the conflict” but rather “end it.” On social media, Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar wrote that he had told the European Union’s foreign minister Kaja Kallas that its military operation in Iran was unfinished and that “Israel will act to complete it.”

• Meanwhile, Iran said its counter-attacks on Israel were self-defense and appealed to Gulf State leaders for aid asking Donald Trump to help negotiate a ceasefire with Israel. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations told the body’s Security Council that its strikes on Israel are “proportionate defensive operations directed exclusively at military objectives and associated infrastructure”, Reuters reports. Iranian officials have also asked the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to mediate discussions with the United States, Reuters reports.

• The United States has relocated refueling aircraft to Europe in order to give Donald Trump military options as hostilities escalate between Iran and Israel, Reuters reports. Reuters and the New York Times also report that the USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrrier, is en route to the Middle East as part of a planned deployment. The news comes even as US senator Tim Kaine introduced legislation to restrict Donald Trump’s war powers.

• Group of Seven leaders drafted a joint statement calling for de-escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict, according to two sources and a draft seen by Reuters. The draft commits to safeguarding market stability, including energy markets, and says Israel has the right to defend itself. Donald Trump does not intend to sign the statement, CBS News reports, citing unnamed US officials.

• European countries have begun evacuating their citizens from Israel. Germany will evacuate its citizens via Jordan’s capital Amman, with a charter flight scheduled for Wednesday. Meanwhile, the UK is establishing a system for UK nationals to register their presence in Israel.

• Russia believes Iran is exercising its right to defend itself against attack by Israel, deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said. Russian news agencies also quoted Ryabkov as saying that Russia was discussing the crisis with the United States as well as maintaining contacts with both Israel and Iran.