Trump demands Iran's "unconditional surrender" as he considers intervening in the war

WashingtonThe escalation of tension in recent days between Iran and Israel has placed Donald Trump at a turning point that all his predecessors had avoided: deciding whether Washington will actively intervene in the conflict and strike a coup de grâce against Iran's nuclear development facilities. The US president left the G-7 summit in Canada last night to meet with his team in the White House crisis room on Tuesday. In recent days, the president has sent contradictory signals about his administration's position, although in the last few hours he has clearly aligned himself with Tel Aviv and, therefore, has threatened Tehran. Trump asserted that he knows where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding and threatened to kill him, in addition to demanding Iran's "unconditional surrender."

"We know exactly where the so-called 'supreme leader' is hiding. He's an easy target, but he's safe there – we won't neutralize (kill!) him, at least not yet. But we don't want missiles fired at civilians or American soldiers. Our patience is running out. During the crisis cabinet meeting with the National Security Council, which lasted just over an hour, the president was reportedly considering a wide range of responses to Iran, including attacking the country, White House sources told The Associated Press. Wall Street Journal.

Trump's threat against Khamenei contrasts with his position a few days ago, when the Republican vetoed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attempt to kill Khamenei, according to Reuters and the Associated Press. Five minutes after the warning, Trump demanded Iran's "unconditional surrender" in another post.

The Trump administration's penchant for end up intervening in the conflict seems to be gaining momentum in recent hours. In another post on Truth Social, Trump had implied that he was collaborating with Israel by speaking of "total control of the skies over Iran." "We now have total and absolute control of the skies over Iran. Iran had good aerial detection systems and other defensive equipment, and they had a lot of it, but they cannot compare to material designed, manufactured, and produced in America. Nobody does it better than good old America," the post says.

Minutes earlier, Vice President Vance also wrote a long post on X in which he argued that whatever decision Trump makes, it will be in the best of American interests. "[Trump] may decide that further steps are necessary to end Iranian enrichment. That decision ultimately belongs to the President. [...] And having seen him up close and personal, I can assure you that he is only interested in using the American military to achieve the goals of the American people."

"A real end" and not "a ceasefire"

Speaking from Air Force One while flying back from Kananaskis, Trump had told reporters that he was not seeking a "ceasefire," but rather a "real end" to the conflict. The president had not given further details on how the resolution of hostilities should take place, leaving an open scenario that largely aligns with Tel Aviv's position.

In recent days, Netanyahu and other former members of his administration have been actively pressuring the United States to get involved in the conflict. Israel began airstrikes against the Islamic Republic on Friday with the aim of to destroy the facilities of the ayatollahs' nuclear program, although for the operation to be completely successful it requires the intervention of American B-2 bombers. Tel Aviv does not have access to this type of aircraft, which are the only ones capable of transporting the bunker-busting bombs needed to reach Tehran's buried Fordo nuclear enrichment plant.

"We believe that the United States of America and the president of the United States have an obligation to ensure that the region evolves in a positive direction and that the world is free of an Iran possessing a nuclear weapon," said former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in an interview on CNN. Meanwhile, on Monday, Netanyahu dismissed in an interview with ABC News the idea that Washington could resume negotiations on the nuclear deal with Tehran, which were blown up by the weekend bombings.

From Air Force One, Trump had announced on Monday that he might try to resume talks with Iran through his special envoy Steve Witkoff or Vice President JD Vance. But he conditioned the meeting on what happened when he returned to Washington, as he had said. Shortly before hastily leaving the G-7, Trump had published a series of messages in which he insisted that Iran could not have a nuclear weapon and warned that "everyone should evacuate Tehran immediately."

Initially, French President Emmanuel Macron had hinted that his American counterpart had left the summit to work on a ceasefire proposal between Iran and Israel. But the Republican was quick to deny it in a message to Truth Social: "French President Emmanuel Macron, on a publicity mission, falsely claimed that I left the G-7 summit in Canada to return to Washington to work on a 'ceasefire' between Israel and Iran. False!" Trump said. "He has no idea why I'm on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a ceasefire. It's much bigger. Whether intentional or not, Emmanuel is always wrong," he added.

This year's G-7 was already marked by memories of 2018, when Trump left early after displaying a series of disagreements with the other member countries. On Monday, he had already signaled his intentions again, insisting that Russia should be part of the group that includes the world's major economies. Even so, Trump has joined the joint statement issued this morning by all partners on the situation in the Middle East, after introducing a series of changes to align more with the discourse of closing ranks with Israel.. "We, the G-7 leaders, reaffirm our commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East," the statement said. "In this context, we affirm that Israel has the right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for Israel's security," the statement said, describing Iran as "the main source of instability and terrorism."