Israel's conflict with Iran reached a critical juncture on Tuesday night following five days of intense bombing and retaliatory missile strikes from Iran.
President Donald Trump called for Tehran's "unconditional surrender" while considering military options.
He held a meeting with his national security team in the White House situation room after a day filled with mixed messages regarding potential U.S. involvement in Israel's operations against Iran.
In the morning, Trump expressed confidence that the Iranian nuclear program would be dismantled before U.S. intervention became necessary.
However, later on his social media platform, he hinted at targeting Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, suggesting that the U.S. could soon take offensive action.
Trump emphasized the need to protect civilians and American soldiers, warning that patience was running thin.
His bold demands for surrender coincided with the deployment of U.S. military aircraft to Europe and the Middle East, raising concerns that Iran's fortified nuclear facilities might require U.S. capabilities to neutralize.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz added -" if Iran did not relent, the complete destruction of its nuclear program would be necessary, a task beyond Israel's capabilities alone."
However, the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, called for restraint, saying: "We acknowledge Israel's right to defend itself, yet we do not endorse actions that jeopardize regional stability. The gravest error that could be committed today is attempting to alter the regime in Iran through military intervention – as this would result in chaos."
In spite of the US military deployments and Trump’s threatening remarks, the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, who was also present at the G7 meeting, maintained that the US was not on the verge of joining the Israeli bombing campaign.
"There’s nothing the president said that indicates he is about to engage in this conflict," Starmer remarked. "On the contrary, the G7 statement focused on de-escalation ... I was sitting right next to President Trump during the dinner, so I have no doubt in my mind regarding the level of agreement "