Trump may send US VP, Middle East envoy to talk with Iran: Report
The US president is considering sending his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff or Vice President JD Vance to meet with officials in Iran, a news reporter says.
According to a CBS News reporter on board a flight from Canada with Trump, the dispatch of Witkoff or Vance “depends what happens when I get back” to Washington, DC, the US president said.
Trump added he wants a “real end” to the nuclear problem with Iran that involves Tehran “giving up entirely” on nuclear weapons, CBS reporter Jennifer Jacobs posted on X.
The US leader predicted Israel would not be slowing its attacks on Iran. “You’re going to find out over the next two days. You’re going to find out. Nobody’s slowed up so far,” the CBS journalist quoted Trump as saying on Air Force One.
Trump made the comments during his midnight departure from Canada, where he attended the Group of Seven summit on Monday.
BREAKING: Trump wants "a real end" to the nuclear problem with Iran and this morning will find him in the White House Situation Room, monitoring developments in Middle East, he told us during his midnight departure from Canada.
"I didn't say I was looking for a ceasefire," he…
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) June 17, 2025
‘Fanning the flames’: China warns US against escalating Iran-Israel conflict
China has accused 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 spokesperson Guo Jiakun said when asked about Trump’s remarks at a regular news conference.
Spanish foreign minister calls for a return to talks
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares says he sees no indication of a de-escalation between Israel and Iran. Speaking to Bloomberg TV, Albares called for a return to “negotiation on the nuclear file” and said, “Let’s stop this exchange of missiles.”
Qatar condemns Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites
Qatar “strongly condemns” Israel’s attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and calls them “an uncalculated measure that will have very dire repercussions”.
The attacks were carried out at a time when Iran was “progressing in a positive diplomatic course” with Washington, negotiations that many regional countries were engaged in, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said.
Qatar remains involved in mediation with the United States and “believes there is an American desire for an agreement”. “We will continue to work for a ceasefire between the warring parties – Israel and Iran,” he said in Doha.
