Trump calls for ‘unconditional surrender’ of Iran and the selection of an ‘acceptable’ Supreme Leader
Donald Trump has called for "unconditional surrender" of Iran and the selection of an "acceptable" Supreme Leader.
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The US President announced on his social media platform Truth Social that there "will be no deal with Iran" and warned that there must be unconditional surrender.
He added: "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."
Since the US and Israel launched the war on Saturday and killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran has unleashed thousands of drones and ballistic missiles targeting Israel, the UK and American military bases and embassies in the region, and energy facilities across the Persian Gulf.
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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the war could extend to eight weeks, twice as long as the president first estimated.
Mr Trump has left open the possibility of sending US troops into what, so far, has largely been a bombing campaign by air. More than 1,200 people in the region have died.
The Trump administration said the goal is to destroy Iran's ballistic missiles that it believes are shielding its nuclear programme.
It has also been said that Israel was ready to act against Iran, and American bases would face retaliation if the US did not strike first.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran was “committed to lasting peace”, but added that his country would keep defending itself.
In a statement, he said: “Some countries have begun mediation efforts. Let’s be clear: we are committed to lasting peace in the region yet we have no hesitation in defending our nation’s dignity and sovereignty.
“Mediation should address those who underestimated the Iranian people and ignited this conflict.”
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that the special relationship is “in operation right now” following repeated criticism from Mr Trump over the UK’s response to the conflict.
The Prime Minister said on Thursday that an additional four British Typhoon fighter jets are being deployed to Qatar to strengthen “defensive operations” in the region.
Sir Keir has tried to limit British involvement in the conflict but decided on Sunday that the joint UK-US Diego Garcia site in the Chagos Islands and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire could be used by the US for “defensive” strikes to protect countries being targeted by Tehran.
However, the decision not to grant permission for the first wave of military action prompted anger from Mr Trump, who said he was “not happy with the UK” and, in a personal attack on the Prime Minister, added: “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”