U.S. President Donald Trump said his early departure from the Group of Seven leaders meeting in Canada has “nothing to do” with working on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, adding that his reason is “much bigger than that.”

Asked aboard Air Force One what he was looking for that could be better than a ceasefire, Trump responded, “An end. A real end, not a ceasefire, an end.”

Trump, who has long said Iran can never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, hasn’t clearly spelled out his next steps as he returns to the U.S. capital.

While world leaders met in Alberta, Israel continued to bombard Iran in a bid to disable its nuclear program and Iran retaliated with waves of missiles and drones. Trump earlier Monday warned Tehran residents to evacuate the city, while also telling Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions and seek a deal with the U.S.

Trump, asked about his call for a Tehran evacuation, said he thinks it’s safer for people to leave, adding that Israel hasn’t slowed up on its barrage.

While he left open the possibility of further talks, Trump faulted Iran for failing to accept an accord that would’ve curbed its nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief, and prevented Israel’s onslaught.

The president told reporters that he “may” send a high-level official such as Steven Witkoff, his special envoy for the Middle East, or Vice President JD Vance to meet with Iranian officials, adding that “it depends what happens when I get back.”

U.S. and Iranian officials have met in the past two months in Oman and Italy for their nuclear negotiations.

“I told them to do the deal, they should have done the deal,” he said when asked if he’s still open to talks with Iran. “Their cities have been blown to pieces, lost a lot of people. They should have done the deal, I told them, do the deal.”

“So I don’t know,” Trump continued. “I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate.”

Trump, after landing back in the U.S., said he hasn’t reached out to Iran for peace talks “in any way, shape or form.”

“If they want to talk, they know how to reach me,” he said on social media.

French President Emmanuel Macron previously suggested that Trump’s early departure from the G-7 meeting could mean a positive development in the ongoing conflict, saying that “if the U.S. can obtain a ceasefire, that is a good thing.”

Trump, in a Truth Social post, said Macron was wrong about his intentions.

“Publicity seeking President Emmanuel Macron, of France, mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a ‘cease fire’ between Israel and Iran. Wrong!” Trump wrote at 1:15 a.m. Washington time on Tuesday, shortly after boarding Air Force One for his flight to the U.S. capital.

“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. “Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay Tuned!”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was leaving for Washington “so he can attend to many important matters,” and in a follow-up post on X said the departure was due to “what’s going on in the Middle East.”

Trump reiterated a warning to Iran that they should avoid retaliating against the U.S. He told reporters he’s prepared to “come down so hard” on Iran if they “do anything to our people.”

©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.