Donald Trump says he believes Iran would "like to talk" about possible paths to de-escalation of the conflict with Israel and that the parties "should talk immediately".
"They'd like to talk, but they should have done that before," he said at the G7 summit in Canada.
"They have to make a deal and it's painful for both parties, but I'd say Iran is not winning this war.
"They should talk and they should talk immediately before it's too late."
Donald Trump was meeting with world leaders at the G7 summit in Canada on Monday, local time, but announced he would leave the event early and return to Washington DC, citing: "Because of what's going on in the Middle East."
The comments came after reporting by Reuters and The Wall Street Journal that Iranian officials had reached out to the United States via intermediaries to signal it was ready to discuss de-escalation.
Tehran has asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to press Mr Trump to use his influence to persuade Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire in return for Tehran's flexibility in nuclear negotiations, according to Reuters.
The comments from Mr Trump came as Israel and Iran stepped up the attacks in the four-day aerial war.
Iranian state media warned the country was preparing to launch "the largest most intense missile attack in history on Israeli soil".
"It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi posted on X, formerly Twitter.
"That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was on a "path to victory" in its Operation Rising Lion, which was launched four days ago.
"No wonder Iranians want to end the war, they are being hit," he said.
The United States president was also asked what it would take for his country to get involved in the conflict militarily, to which Mr Trump replied: "I don't want to talk about that anymore."
"We've always supported Israel. We have for a long period of time, strongly. And Israel is doing very well right now," he said.
Mr Trump has consistently said the Israeli assault could end quickly if Iran agrees to US demands that it accept strict curbs to its nuclear program.
Trump diverges from G7 leaders
In Canada, leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US, along with the European Union, had been convening in the resort area of Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies for the G7 summit.
Now, Donald Trump has announced he will return to Washington DC after a state dinner on Monday night, local time.
Australia has been invited to be there and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had been due to meet with Mr Trump on Tuesday, local time.
With the escalating Israel-Iran conflict, the event in Canada is seen as a vital moment to try to restore a semblance of unity among democratic powerhouses.
In an early sign that they may struggle to reach agreement on key issues, a US official said Mr Trump would not sign a draft statement calling for de-escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict, according to Reuters.
CNN is also reporting Donald Trump does not intend to sign the statement, but that the European leaders spearheading the document are still working on the language and "held out hope" the US president would come around.
Other diplomats remained hopeful too, saying the conflict would come up in bilateral meetings throughout the summit and a senior European diplomat echoed those comments, saying Mr Trump was yet to make a decision, Reuters added.
Now Mr Trump is returning to Washington DC, it is unclear how much traction European leaders will be able to get for the joint statement.
The draft statement reportedly commits to safeguarding market stability, including energy markets, and says Israel has the right to defend itself.
CNN is reporting the statement also says Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said all G7 leaders had agreed they had "to find a way to de-escalate the situation" in the Middle East.
Sir Keir said he had spoken to Mr Trump about the issue, adding: "The risk of the conflict escalating is obvious, I think, and the implications, not just for the region but globally, are really immense, so the focus has to be on de-escalation."
'The G7 used to be the G8'
Early on Monday, local time, Mr Trump met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and, before talking about the Middle East conflict or trade, he used the moment to lament Russia's exclusion from the G7.
"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin speaks to me. He doesn't speak to anybody else … he's not a happy person about it. I can tell you that he basically doesn't even speak to the people that threw him out, and I agree with him," he said.
Mr Trump took the reporters gathered and Mr Carney standing beside on a detour as he said: "The G7 used to be the G8."
"I think you wouldn't have a war right now if you had Russia in," he said.
He was asked if he believed Mr Putin should be at this year's summit, but even Mr Trump believed "too much water has gone over the dam".
"It was a big mistake. You have your enemy at the table," he said.
After just a handful of questions, Canadian host Mr Carney abruptly wrapped up the press conference and the two leaders began their bilateral meeting — one that surely featured a discussion about tariffs.
Mr Trump said he believed a trade deal with Canada was possible, but tariffs were staying on the table.
"I have a tariff concept. Mark has a different concept … we're going to see if we can get to the bottom of it," Mr Trump said.
"I'm a tariff person."
ABC/Reuters/AP
