On Monday, June 16th, US President Trump urged everyone to evacuate Tehran immediately and reiterated that Iran should sign a nuclear agreement with the United States.
Trump wrote on the social media platform “Truth Social”: “Iran should have signed the ‘agreement’ that I told them to sign. It’s just ridiculous. It’s literally a waste of life. In short, Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. I have said it many times!”
Finally, Trump said, “Everyone should evacuate Tehran immediately!” but he did not explain the reason.
Shortly after Trump’s post, according to the Iranian state news agency Fars News, the Iranian air defense forces were activated over the capital Tehran. The agency reported that explosions were heard in the eastern part of Tehran a few minutes ago.
A White House official later told CNN that President Trump’s urging of Iranians to “evacuate Tehran immediately” on social media reflects Iran’s urgent need to return to the negotiating table in the face of escalating tensions with Israel.
The official stated that President Trump was receiving regular updates from Secretary of State Pompeo and other officials while attending the G7 summit in the Canadian Rockies.
Earlier on Monday, Trump hinted that he might reach a diplomatic agreement with Iran soon to end the current conflict between Iran and Israel. He mentioned that once he leaves the G7 summit, action on the plan may be taken immediately.
“I think Iran is basically sitting at the negotiating table. They want a deal, and once I leave here, we will take action,” Trump stated at the summit.
The Middle East conflict has been a focal point for discussion among G7 summit leaders.
Since early Friday morning, Israel has been bombing Iran while Iran has been retaliating with missile launches and drones, leading to a gradually escalating mutual conflict.
Israeli officials earlier on Monday advised residents to evacuate certain parts of northeastern Tehran, stating that the Israeli military plans to strike “military infrastructure.”