Trump Demands Iran’s ‘Unconditional Surrender’ as War Escalates, Mediation Efforts Begin
Donald Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” on Friday, dramatically escalating his rhetoric a week into the war launched alongside Israel.
Trump made the remarks on social media just hours after Iran’s president signalled the first signs of potential diplomacy, saying that several unnamed countries had begun mediation efforts to end the conflict.
“There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” Trump wrote.
“After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE leader(s), we, along with many of our brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before,” he added.
A day earlier, Trump told Reuters in a phone interview that he wanted the right to help select Iran’s next supreme leader to replace Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed on the first day of the war.
Meanwhile, Israel expanded its military campaign on Friday, striking the Lebanese capital Beirut after ordering an unprecedented evacuation of the city’s southern suburbs.
Israel also launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, saying around 50 warplanes targeted a bunker beneath Khamenei’s destroyed compound in Tehran, which it claimed was still being used by Iran’s leadership following his death.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a post on X, said that some countries had begun mediation efforts, though he did not identify them or provide further details.
“Let’s be clear: we are committed to lasting peace in the region, but we have not the slightest hesitation in defending the dignity and authority of our country,” Pezeshkian said.
“Mediation should address those who underestimated the Iranian people and ignited this conflict,” he added.
Under Iran’s political system, the president is subordinate to the supreme leader. However, Pezeshkian is currently serving on a governing panel that has assumed the duties previously held by Khamenei.
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