Trump Declares He Wants 'A Real End' To The Israel-Iran War. Here's What You Need To Know

Israeli security forces inspect a site hit by a missile launched from Iran in central Israel on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)Donald Trump has said he wants to see a “real end” to the war between Israel and Iran, prompting intense speculation about what that could mean.The US president sparked a frenzy of conjecture by dramatically leaving the G7 summit of world leaders in Canada a day early.French president Emmanuel Macron earned a slapdown from Trump after he said his US counterpart was returning to Washington to broker a ceasefire between Tel Aviv and Tehran.But writing on Truth Social, Trump hit back: “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. Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong.”Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One as he returned to Washington, Trump said: “I’m not looking for a ceasefire, we’re looking at better than a ceasefire.”The president said he was looking for “an end, a real end” to the war.Here, HuffPost UK looks at how we got here and what might happen next.Israel Bombs IranIsrael launched a “preemptive” attack on Iran last Thursday night, claiming Tehran was on the verge of building a nuclear weapon.They said the bombing raids, known as Operation Rising Lion, were intended to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival”.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced on Thursday that Iran had violated its nuclear non-proliferation treaty by not cooperating with inspections and accumulating enriched uranium.Iran has responded with a series of missile attacks on Israel, the vast majority of which have been repelled by the country’s “golden dome” defence system.How Has The UK Responded?Keir Starmer has called on Israel and Iran “to step back and reduce tensions urgently”.“Stability in the Middle East must be the priority and we are engaging partners to de-escalate,” the PM said. “Now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy.”The Foreign Office also changed its travel advice to urge Britons not to travel to Israel under any circumstances amid the growing Middle East tensions.However, Israel – which did not give the UK any prior notice of its attacks on Iran – swiftly rejected Starmer’s plea for de-escalation.Tzipi Hotovely, the Israeli ambassador to the UK, told the BBC that the war will not end until Iran’s nuclear capabilities have been completely removed.She said: “De-escalation means that Iran won’t have nuclear capabilities, it’s as simple as that.”Trump Piles InResponding to the initial Israeli offensive, the US president said he was not taken by surprise by the attack, but insisted America was not involved either.Trump has called on Iran to strike a deal which would see it agree to cease its ambitions to become a nuclear power.Writing on Truth Social on Monday, he said: “What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again!”Ominously, the president then added: “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”What Could Happen Next?It is unclear what Trump meant with his evacuation warning, but it has raised fears that America could join Israel in bombing the Iranian capital.The president was due to meet with his senior military advisers in the White House situation room on Tuesday, where his various options will be debated.According to analysis by the New York Times, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahuwants US help to take out the Fordo facility, which is buried deep in a mountain 100 miles south of Tehran and is a central pillars of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme. However, for a president who came to power promising to bring peace to the Middle East and end America’s involvement in overseas wars, this would be an enormous gamble.Related...Trump Escalates His Feud With Tucker Carlson Over Israel And IranUN Officials Plead For End Of Israel-Iran War As Gaza Continues To SufferIsrael’s Dangerous War Against Iran Is Escalating — With Donald Trump’s Tacit Blessing

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