President Donald Trump said Friday that he will only accept “unconditional surrender” from Iran as the US and Israel continue to strike across the country, prompting continued Iranian retaliation.
“There will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender!” the US president said on his Truth Social platform.
Trump’s statement follows one by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian: “We have entered a new phase of the war. Tehran has finished its stockpile of old missiles, and now the true technology of the Islamic Republic will be revealed.
“From now on, Kheibar Shekan-4 missiles will be launched towards the Gulf and the Middle East, and intensively towards Israel and the American forces deployed in the region. Everyone who has chosen to stand against Iran will bear the consequences in the coming hours,” he said.
Pezeshkian also said while some countries have begun mediation efforts, Iran seeks lasting peace but will defend its sovereignty and dignity if necessary.
Trump’s statement suggest that there is no room for diplomacy.
“After that, and the selection of a great & acceptable leader(s), we, and 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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Regional tensions have escalated since the United States and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran on Saturday, killing more than 1 000 people, including Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, over 150 schoolgirls, and senior military officials.
Iran has retaliated with sweeping barrages of its own that have targetted US bases, diplomatic facilities, and military personnel across the region, as well as multiple Israeli cities. The attacks have continued to escalate.
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that Iran’s leadership had miscalculated if it believed Washington could not maintain the pace of operations.
“Iran is hoping that we cannot sustain this, which is a really bad miscalculation for the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) in Iran,” Hegseth said.
“There’s no shortage of American will here,” he added, saying US stockpiles of offensive and defensive weapons allow the campaign to continue “as long as it takes to ensure the US achieves these objectives.” – AA