Trump demands ‘unconditional surrender’ from Iran as Putin speaks with Iranian president
Daniel Bush,Correspondent in WashingtonAnd
Olivia Ireland
Reuters
US President Donald Trump has demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” as US and Israeli militaries continue to launch strikes.
Trump said the United States and its allies would make Iran “economically bigger, better and stronger than ever” after choosing “acceptable” new leadership.
With the war about to enter its second week, it remains unclear who will lead Iran following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei a week ago, nor under what conditions the United States will end its offensive against Tehran, which has triggered region-wide retaliatory strikes.
Speaking Friday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the administration anticipates military operations will last four to six weeks.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared: “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
“After that, and after the selection of a GREAT AND ACCEPTABLE leader or leaders, we, along with many of our wonderful and very 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.
“IRAN WILL HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. LET’S MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!).”
Trump’s latest intervention suggested he was not interested in a negotiated settlement to the war, although he stopped short of calling for regime change.
Since the conflict began, Trump has avoided the term “regime change,” a sign that he may be reluctant to draw parallels between the attack on Iran and past U.S. wars in the Middle East that he criticized before entering politics.
Other senior administration officials have made this argument on Trump’s behalf in recent days, saying the president would not let the United States get drawn into a protracted, never-ending conflict, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Asked how long the offensive would last, Leavitt told reporters: “We anticipate [the war] last about 4-6 weeks, and we are on track to achieve these goals, annihilate the Iranian Navy. »
She also said Trump did not want Iran to be ruled by “a radical terrorist or a regime that sings about the death of America.”
The White House press secretary told reporters: “[Trump] wants to be interested and research who will be the next leader of the Iranian country. And that remains to be seen, the president is discussing it.”
EPA
Earlier this week, Trump told a US media outlet Axios he hoped to play a role in selecting Iran’s next leader.
In response to reports that Khamenei’s son Mojtaba – a conservative close to the powerful military wing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – could be installed as head of the country, Trump said it would be “unacceptable”.
Trump compared the situation in Iran to the U.S. raid in Venezuela earlier this year, during which he removed the country’s leader and publicly supported his successor.
In January, the president ordered troops to capture Nicolás Maduro in a surprise operation, with the government throwing its support behind his deputy, Delcy Rodríguez. The two countries restored diplomatic relations on Thursday.
Separately, three sources, including a senior US official with direct knowledge, told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that Russia had provided intelligence on US positions to Iran.
Officials said the targeting information included the locations of U.S. warships and aircraft in the Middle East.
Asked about the report, Leavitt said it “made no difference.”
Russia has long been an ally of Iran. Tehran has supplied Moscow with thousands of Shahed drones for Russian troops over the past four years, since President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
Throughout this period, the United States provided Ukraine with weapons and, more importantly, intelligence that helped Ukrainian troops attack the Russians.
Putin’s office said Friday that he spoke by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, expressing condolences for the deaths of Iran’s supreme leader, other government officials and civilians across the country in U.S.-Israeli strikes.
The Kremlin said Putin reiterated Russia’s position that hostilities must cease immediately and a diplomatic solution must be found.
Pezeshkian expressed gratitude for Russia’s support and provided a detailed report on developments in Iran, the statement said, adding that Iran and Russia agreed to maintain communication with each other.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia was continuing dialogue with Iranian leaders, but he declined to say whether the two countries were continuing military cooperation.
Asked about the claim that Russia is helping Iran, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes that Trump is “well aware of who’s talking to who.”
As the war enters its second week, it has spread across the Middle East after Iran-backed Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel, prompting the Israeli government to launch strikes against Lebanon on Monday.
Large explosions took place in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, on Friday. Before the strikes, the Israeli army ordered hundreds of thousands of people to leave the south of the city.
Hezbollah also warned Israelis living within 5 km of the Lebanese border to leave their home.
As part of Iran’s retaliation against US-Israeli attacks, drone and missile strikes have also been reported in countries hosting US bases, including Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, as well as US allies Oman and Saudi Arabia.
In addition, a British military base in Cyprus was struck by a drone on Sunday, according to the British Ministry of Defense.
