United States President Donald Trump on Friday called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” sharply escalating his rhetoric a week after launching a war alongside Israel — a move analysts say could complicate efforts to quickly end the conflict.
Trump made the demand in a social media post only hours after Iran’s president disclosed that several unnamed countries had begun mediation efforts, one of the first indications that diplomatic channels may be opening to halt the fighting.
“There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” he wrote.
“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.”
The American president’s insistence on surrender, and the prospect that the war could drag on, immediately rattled financial markets, as investors worried about prolonged disruptions to global energy supplies.
The post also followed remarks Trump made to reporters less than a day earlier, when he said U.S. and Israeli forces had continued to strike Iranian targets intensively.
According to him, the two countries had been “totally demolish the enemy far ahead of schedule and at levels that people have never seen before” during the first six days of the aerial offensive, which administration officials have suggested could last weeks or even months.
Trump also indicated on Thursday that he wanted a say in choosing Iran’s next leader following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran’s new leader is expected to be selected by the Assembly of Experts, a powerful council of Islamic clerics.
One of the leading contenders is Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late supreme leader.
The 48-year-old cleric is widely viewed as a hardliner similar to his father and is believed to have strong ties with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
However, in an interview with Axios, the Republican president dismissed Mojtaba Khamenei as unfit to lead Iran.
“They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela,” he said.
Separately, he told Reuters, “We want to be involved in the process of choosing the person who is going to lead Iran into the future. We don’t have to go back every five years and do this again and again.”
At the same time, Trump acknowledged that the ongoing U.S. and Israeli air campaign had eliminated many potential figures who might have been more willing to meet his conditions.
“Most of the people we had in mind are dead,” Trump said. “So, you know, we had some in mind from that group that is, is dead. And now we have another group. They may be dead also, based on reports. So, I guess you have a third wave coming in. Pretty soon, we’re not going to know anybody,” he said.
Iranian state media reported that more than 1,000 people have been killed since the U.S.-led offensive, known as “Operation Epic Fury”, began early Saturday morning.
In response, Iran has launched retaliatory strikes against targets in at least 14 countries, widening the conflict across the Middle East and triggering a surge in global oil prices amid fears of wider economic fallout.
