Donald Trump says wants 'real end' to Israel-Iran conflict, not ceasefire

Israel is preparing to bring back its citizens stranded abroad since its attack on Iran last week triggered the closure of its airspace, the transport minister said Tuesday.

Transport Minister Miri Regev said between 100,000 and 150,000 Israelis were stuck abroad for the time being, as Israel and Iran were locked in their most intense confrontation in history.

The ministry said all of Israel's commercial aircraft had been sent outside of the country to prevent the planes from being damaged during the air war.

"That step is now complete," Regev added.

"The next step is to gradually bring Israelis back," she said during a visit to the site of an Iranian strike in the centre of the country.

After suspending flights last week, the national carrier El Al said in a statement that it was "preparing rescue flights" starting Wednesday.

Its planes will depart from Cyprus's Larnaca, Athens, Rome, Milan and Paris, the statement added.

The low-cost Israeli airline Arkia also announced special flights this week to repatriate Israeli

President Donald Trump faces potentially the hardest choice of his time in the White House, as he weighs up whether the United States should join Israel's bombing campaign against Iran.

Trump fueled speculation about a US intervention as he dashed back from a G7 summit in Canada, warning Tuesday that the United States could kill Iran's supreme leader, but would not "for now."

The choice is a monumental one for a president who has vowed throughout both his first and second terms in the Oval Office to get the United States out of its "forever wars" in the Middle East.

Air raid sirens rang in a large swath of northern Israel on Tuesday warning of an incoming barrage of Iranian missiles, the military said.

"A short while ago, sirens sounded in several areas across Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel," the military said in the seventh such warning since midnight (2100 GMT on Monday).

Abu Dhabi: President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a telephone call today with Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Iran, during which they discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and their grave implications for regional peace and security.

The call addressed the Israeli military targeting of the Islamic Republic of Iran. His Highness expressed the UAE’s solidarity with Iran and its people during these challenging times.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being "the biggest threat" to the Middle East region, in a phone call with Qatar's emir on Tuesday, his office said.

Erdogan said that he "will continue his efforts to end the spiral of violence, and that Netanyahu has shown once again that he is the biggest threat to the security of the region," according to the presidency.

Loud blasts were heard Tuesday across Tehran, AFP journalists reported, as intense fighting raged between Iran and Israel for the fifth consecutive day.

The blasts were heard in north, west and central Tehran, according to the journalists. It was not immediately clear whether the blasts were the result of incoming Israeli strikes or Iranian air defence fire.

Four US Stratofortress bombers are currently stationed at the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, according to an AFP analysis of satellite imagery, as the conflict between Israel and Iran extended to its fifth straight day.

The four B52H Stratofortresses, which can carry nuclear weapons or other precision-guided munitions, were spotted on a southern tarmac at Diego Garcia on Monday at 0922 GMT.

Images provided by Planet Labs indicate they arrived in mid-May.

The Pentagon said Monday that it was sending "additional capabilities" to the Middle East amid an escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict, while the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz cancelled a Vietnam visit to head toward the Indian Ocean according to Marine Traffic, a ship-tracking site.

US President Donald Trump is convening a meeting of his National Security Council on Tuesday to discuss the Iran-Israel war, a White House official said on condition of anonymity.

The meeting, which the official said had not yet started, comes after Trump stepped up his rhetoric against Iran's supreme leader, sparking questions about possible US military intervention.

Iran's armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi urged on Tuesday residents of the major Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv to evacuate, warning of imminent "punitive" attacks.

"Punitive operations will be carried out soon," Mousavi said in a video statement carried by state TV on the fifth day of the deadly confrontation triggered by Israeli air raid on Friday.

Referring to Israel, Mousavi said that "residents of the occupied territories, especially Tel Aviv and Haifa, are strongly urged to leave these areas for the sake of their lives".

The Pentagon is moving more fighter jets to the Middle East and is extending the deployment of air assets already in the Middle East, a US official confirms to Fox News.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they launched on Tuesday an attack targeting Israeli air bases from which they claim fighter jets have taken off to strike the Islamic republic.

"In the new wave of attacks, a large-scale missile operation was carried out against the air bases of the Zionist regime's army, which are the bases from which the regime's fighter jets take off towards our beloved country," the Guards said in a statement carried by state TV.

The Israeli military warned Tuesday of a fresh barrage of missiles from Iran, with air raid sirens activated in southern parts of the country including in a town home to a nuclear power plant.

The early evening alert was dropped after 16 minutes including in the town of Dimona where residents were advised "that it is now permitted to leave protected spaces", according to a military statement.

Israel has maintained a policy of ambiguity about its nuclear programme, and the Dimona plant officially focuses on research and energy provision.

The warning came hours after a previous salvo from Iran targeting coastal hub of Tel Aviv and the north.

Sirens sounded in parts of southern Israel on Tuesday, the military said, with the warnings of incoming Iranian missile fire also covering Dimona, a town that is home to a nuclear power plant.

The warnings follow several barrages earlier in the day, as Iran and Israel exchanged fire for a fifth straight day.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States would not kill Iran's supreme leader "for now" but warned Ayatollah Ali Khamenei against further attacks, as he appeared to demand Tehran's unconditional surrender.

"We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now," Trump said on Truth Social."

Full story here.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that "we" have control of the skies over Iran as questions grew over whether the United States will join Israel's strikes against the Islamic republic.

"We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran," Trump said on Truth Social, hailing the use of US-made weaponry although without explicitly mentioning Israel. "Nobody does it better than the good ol' USA."

Iran launched a new wave of attacks targeting Israel on Tuesday, state TV reported, as fighting between the longtime foes raged for a fifth straight day.

"The tenth wave of Operation Honest Promise 3 against the occupied territories (Israel) has begun," state TV said, with the Tasnim news agency reporting that the new barrage consisted of "drone and missile attacks" by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

President Donald Trump may decide that "further action" is needed to stop Iran's nuclear program, Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday, responding to speculation that the United States could intervene in the conflict.

"The president has shown remarkable restraint in keeping our military's focus on protecting our troops and protecting our citizens. He may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment," Vance said in a post on X.

Iranian media reported widespread internet disruption on Tuesday as Israel and Iran traded fire for a fifth straight day.

"Internet users in several provinces are reporting widespread internet disruption," the Ham Mihan newspaper reported. Other media carried similar reports.

It was not immediately clear what caused the disruption. Iran has imposed internet restrictions since Israel launched its unprecedented aerial campaign against Iranian military and nuclear facilities on Friday.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Tuesday that President Donald Trump had given no sign at a G7 summit that the United States would get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict.

"There is nothing the president said that suggests he's about to get involved in this conflict. On the contrary, the G7 statement was about de-escalation," Starmer said after Trump left the group's Canada summit early to rush back to Washington.

An AFP journalist heard a series of loud explosions in north Tehran on Tuesday, as Israel kept up its strikes on Iran's military and nuclear facilities for a fifth day.

It was not immediately clear whether the blasts were the result of incoming Israeli strikes or Iranian air defence fire.

Israel's military lifted air raid warnings for the country's centre and north on Tuesday, saying it had intercepted "most" of a salvo of fresh missiles fired from Iran.

The military said in a statement that "several missiles" had been launched and "most of them were intercepted", while residents in the coastal hub of Tel Aviv and the north were told they could leave their shelters.

Iranian media said several blasts were heard on Tuesday in the central city of Isfahan, which hosts multiple nuclear facilities, as Israel kept up its strikes for a fifth day.

"Several explosions were heard in the east and north of Isfahan and air defences were activated against the hostile targets," the Mehr news agency reported.

The Israeli military said its forces struck on Tuesday several locations in western Iran, hitting "dozens" of missile launchers as the arch-foes traded fire for a fifth straight day.

The Israeli air force "completed a series of strikes in western Iran" in which "a number of sites and dozens of surface-to-surface missile launchers were struck", a military statement said, hours after announcing "several extensive strikes" overnight on military targets in the Islamic republic's west.

There appear to have been "direct impacts" on the underground part of Iran's Natanz nuclear site during Israel's attacks, the UN's atomic watchdog said on Tuesday.

"Based on continued analysis of high resolution satellite imagery collected after Friday's attacks, the IAEA has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz," the International Atomic Energy Agency said on X, formerly Twitter.

Ukraine on Tuesday urged its citizens to leave Israel and Iran as soon as possible amid the spiralling conflict between the two countries.

"Due to the significant deterioration of the security situation in the Middle East, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly recommends that Ukrainian citizens leave the territory of the State of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran as soon as possible until the situation in the region stabilises," Ukraine's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Two loud explosions were heard from central and north Tehran on Tuesday, AFP correspondents reported, as the Iranian capital came under Israeli bombardment for a fifth straight day.

There was no immediate word on the cause or precise whereabouts of the twin blasts, which came after the Israeli military struck state television headquarters on Monday, causing significant damage and killing at least three people, the broadcaster said.

US President Donald Trump said he wants a "real end" to the conflict between Israel and Iran, not just a ceasefire, as the arch foes traded fire for a fifth day on Tuesday.

The escalating clashes saw Israeli warplanes target military sites in Iran, killing a senior commander and drawing retaliatory missile fire from Iran.

Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem shortly after air raid sirens sounded in many parts of Israel following missile launches from Iran, the Israeli military said.

The air force was "operating to intercept and strike where necessary to eliminate the threat", the military said.

About 20 minutes later, it said people could leave shelters as police reported debris fell in the Tel Aviv area and the fire brigade said it was tackling a blaze in the surrounding area.

The Israeli military said it killed senior Iranian commander Ali Shamdani in an overnight strike on a "command centre in the heart of Tehran", just four days after his predecessor, Golam Ali Rashid, was killed in a similar Israeli attack.

It also said it targeted multiple missile and drone sites in west Iran, including infrastructure, launchers and storage facilities, with black-and-white footage showing some of them exploding.

Russia said Tuesday it was ready to act as a peace broker between Israel and Iran, but that Israel was showing reluctance to accept outside mediation.

"At present, we see a reluctance, at least on the part of Israel, to resort to any mediation services or to embark on a peaceful path towards a settlement," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

More than 600 foreign nationals have crossed from Iran into neighbouring Azerbaijan since Israel began striking the country last Friday, a government official in Baku said.

"Since the start of the military escalation between Israel and Iran, more than 600 citizens of 17 countries have been evacuated from Iran via Azerbaijan," the government source told AFP on Tuesday.

The evacuees, who crossed the border via the Astara checkpoint on the Caspian Sea coast, are being transported to Baku airport and "flown to their home countries on international flights," the source said.

Among those evacuated are citizens of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, as well as Germany, Spain, Italy, Serbia, Romania, Portugal, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, China, and Vietnam.

Azerbaijan shut its land borders in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and has kept them closed ever since.

"In light of the evacuation need, Azerbaijan has temporarily opened its border for those leaving Iran," the official said.

China on Tuesday accused President Donald Trump of "pouring oil" on the mounting conflict between Iran and Israel, after the US leader warned Tehran residents to "immediately evacuate".

"Fanning the flames, pouring oil, making threats and mounting pressure will not help to promote the de-escalation of the situation, but will only intensify and widen the conflict," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said when asked about Trump's remarks at a regular news conference.

Israel and Iran exchanged missile fire for a fifth consecutive day Tuesday, as US President Donald Trump abruptly left the G7 summit and warned Tehran residents to "immediately evacuate" amid rising fears of a wider conflict.

The Israeli military said it targeted multiple missile and UAV sites in western Iran, including surface-to-surface missile infrastructure, surface-to-air launchers and drone storage facilities, in a statement accompanied by black-and-white footage showing missile launchers exploding.

Shortly after, air raid sirens sounded in parts of Israel. Loud booms were heard over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, AFP journalists reported, as the Israeli army warned of incoming missiles launched from Iran.

"Sirens sounded in several areas across Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran," the military said, adding the air force was "operating to intercept and strike where necessary to eliminate the threat."

Around 20 minutes later, the army said people could leave protected spaces. Police said shrapnel fell in Tel Aviv, causing damage but no casualties. The fire service said its teams were on the way to battle a blaze in the commercial hub.

The Israeli military said Tuesday it killed Iran's top military commander, Ali Shadmani, in an overnight strike, calling him the closest figure to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In a statement, the military said following "a sudden opportunity overnight, the (Israeli air force) struck a staffed command centre in the heart of Tehran and eliminated Ali Shadmani, the war-time Chief of Staff, the most senior military commander, and the closest figure to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei".

The Israeli military said Shadmani had commanded both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian armed forces.

Two explosions were heard on Tuesday in Iran's northwestern city of Tabriz, local media reported as Iran and Israel trade fire for a fifth day.

"Two explosions occurred in Tabriz five minutes apart," the Ham Mihan newspaper reported. "Thick smoke was seen around Tabriz Tuesday morning after the explosion," Mehr news agency reported, publishing a video from the city, which lies more than 600 kilometres (375 miles) from Tehran and is home to a major air force base targeted by Israel in recent days.

India on Tuesday urged its citizens to leave Tehran, while some nationals have already fled across the Iranian border as the country comes under Israeli bombardment.

With Israel vowing to keep up its attacks four days after launching its assault on Iran, which has launched retaliatory strikes, New Delhi said Indian students have already left Tehran.

"Residents who are self sufficient in terms of transport have also been advised to move out of the city in view of the developing situation," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The warning came after Israel's ally US President Donald Trump said "everyone" should "immediately" leave the Iranian capital, which is home to nearly 10 million.

New Delhi said "some Indians have been facilitated to leave Iran through the border with Armenia", hundreds of kilometres (miles) northwest of Tehran.

The foreign ministry did not detail how many of its citizens have been affected in Iran, where there are around 10,000 Indians according to government data last year.

Thousands of Indians are also in Israel, and New Delhi has issued warnings for its citizens there to "stay vigilant".

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G-7) countries attending a summit in Canada have issued a joint statement affirming Israel has "the right to defend itself" in the escalating crisis in West Asia.

"We, the leaders of the G7, reiterate our commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East. In this context, we 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," read the statement released by the office of the Prime Minister of Canada.

The leaders said "Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror."

"We have been consistently clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon," the G7 leaders said.

"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," it said.

They stated that they will remain vigilant regarding the implications for international energy markets, expressing readiness to coordinate as needed.

"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," the staement read.

The heads of state from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and representatives from the European Union are set to meet through Tuesday.

Bazan, Israel's largest oil refinery company, announced that all of its facilities at the Haifa Port had been completely shut down due to the damage caused by an Iranian missile strike.

Three company employees were killed in the pre-dawn attack on Monday night, which ignited fires at the strategic complex. Video footage showed visible flames, and firefighting teams were still struggling to extinguish the blaze, Xinhua news agency reported quoting Israeli daily Ha'aretz.

"The power station responsible for part of the steam and electricity production used by the group's facilities sustained significant damage, alongside additional impacts," the company said in a filing to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

"At this stage, all refinery and subsidiary facilities have been shut down," it added.

Bazan said it was still assessing the extent of the damage and its impact on operations, as well as the best way to address the situation.

G7 leaders attending a summit in Canada issued a joint statement calling for "de-escalation" on Iran, while stressing Israel had the right to defend itself in the escalating Middle East crisis.

"We affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself," the statement said. "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."

Twenty-one Arab, Islamic and African countries issued a joint statement calling for an end to "Israeli hostilities" against Iran, a comprehensive ceasefire and the restoration of calm.

The joint statement, issued by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Chad and several other countries, expressed deep concern over the "dangerous escalation" of Israeli attacks on Iran since Friday, warning it could seriously undermine peace and stability across the region, Xinhua news agency reported.

The ministers condemned Israel for violating international law and the UN Charter, stressing the need to respect state sovereignty and territorial integrity, uphold good-neighbourliness, and resolve disputes peacefully.

They underscored the urgent need to establish a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, and called for all countries in the region to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, while urging a return to negotiations as the sole viable way to achieve a sustainable agreement on Iran's nuclear program.

US President Donald Trump said Iran wants to talk about de-escalating the conflict with Israel even as the two sides exchanged deadly fire for the fifth consecutive day.

Asked about reports that Iran wants to work toward a resolution, Trump responded "yeah,"  and added, "they'd like to talk, but they should have done that before."

"It's painful for both parties but I would say that Iran is not winning this war,"  Trump said at the start of a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at a Group of Seven leaders summit in Kananaskis, Alberta. Asked if the US would get more involved militarily, Trump said he didn't want to discuss it.

Israel's army warned early Tuesday that it had detected new missiles launched from Iran, as the arch foes exchanged fire for a fifth day.

"A short while ago, sirens sounded in several areas in northern Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel," the Israeli army posted on Telegram, adding it was working to intercept the threat.

US forces in the Middle East remain in a "defensive posture, and that has not changed," the White House said on Tuesday as Israel and Iran traded heavy strikes for a fourth day.

"We will defend American interests," White House spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer added in a post on social media.

China's embassy in Israel on Tuesday urged its citizens to leave the country "as soon as possible", after Israel and Iran traded heavy strikes.

"The Chinese mission in Israel reminds Chinese nationals to leave the country as soon as possible via land border crossings, on the precondition that they can guarantee their personal safety," the embassy said in a statement on WeChat.

Iran's Foreign Minister and chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi said Israel's strikes against his country "deal a blow" to diplomacy during a call with his French, British, and German counterparts.

"The Israeli aggression against Iran in the midst of nuclear negotiations with the United States is a blow to diplomacy," Abbas Araghchi said during a call reported by his ministry with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, the United Kingdom's David Lammy, Germany's Johann Wadephul, and the European Union's head of foreign affairs Kaja Kallas.

These three countries and the EU, along with China and Russia, signed a nuclear deal with Iran in 2015, but the United States later unilaterally withdrew.

US President Donald Trump was on Tuesday leaving a Group of Seven summit early as he hinted of greater involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict and warned Tehran residents to evacuate.

Before flying out of Canada in the middle of the G7 gathering, Trump took to social media to back Israel and issue an alert to the Iranian capital of nearly 10 million people.

"Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

At a group photo with fellow G7 leaders in the scenic mountain resort of Kananaskis, he said: "I have to be back as soon as I can. I wish I could stay for tomorrow, but they understand, this is big stuff."

The United States is reinforcing its military presence in the Middle East to enhance its "defensive posture," Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth said, as arch-rivals Iran and Israel ramp up their deadly conflict.

"Over the weekend, I directed the deployment of additional capabilities to the United States Central Command Area of Responsibility," Hegseth posted on X. "Protecting US forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region."

A spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that over the past 72 hours, we have continuously and without interruption targeted objectives across the occupied territories with 545 attack drones—and these operations will continue.

The Iranian Red Crescent said Monday that three of its rescuers were killed by an Israeli air strike in northwest Tehran.

"This incident is not only a crime against international humanitarian law but also a blatant attack on humanity and morality," the organisation said in a statement, adding that the three workers were aiding the wounded in the capital's Shahid Bagheri district.

A spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that the ninth wave of Operation True Promise 3 was launched moments ago and will continue without interruption until dawn.

Iran has issued evacuation warnings for Israeli news channels after Israel attacked the building of Iran's state broadcaster, Iranian state TV reported on Monday.

"Iran has issued an evacuation warning for the N12 and N14 channels of Israel. This order comes in response to the hostile attack of Zionist enemy against the Islamic republic of Iran's broadcasting service," state TV said.

The Bazan Group confirms its Haifa Bay oil refinery facilities are fully shut down due to Iranian strike.

Iranian state media announced a new barrage of missiles targeting Israel on Monday night, as the two countries exchanged major strikes for a fourth day.

"A new salvo of missiles against the occupied territories (Israel) is beginning," state TV reported.