UNITED States (US) President Donald Trump has demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and warned that he could no longer wait for the country to concede defeat.
Trump made his stance on the Israel-Iran conflict known on Tuesday, July 17, noting that there were no plans to target Iran’s leader, Ali Hosseini Khamenei as the conflict entered its fifth day.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” he wrote on Truth Social. “We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now…Our patience is wearing thin,” he added.
Three minutes later, he posted, “Unconditional surrender!”
According to three US officials who spoke with Reuters, the US is sending additional fighter jets to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other warplanes.
The ICIR reported that Trump urged Iranians to evacuate Tehran, citing the Iranian government’s refusal to accept a deal aimed at limiting its nuclear weapons programme.
Trump departed the G7 summit early on Monday, citing the escalating Middle East crisis, but denied that his exit was related to any efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, adding that it was due to something “much bigger” on the horizon.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, warned that Iran’s Supreme Leader could meet the same fate as former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who was overthrown in a US-led invasion and executed in 2006, following a trial.
“I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and fire missiles at Israeli citizens,” Katz told top Israeli military officials.
Earlier, thousands of residents of the Iranian capital Tehran were said to be fleeing their homes and stockpiling essential supplies for fear that Israel’s airstrike campaign would escalate in the coming days.
The Israeli military had warned Iranian civilians in a series of messages to leave some areas for their own safety, raising the prospect of a widening barrage of aerial attacks.
On Monday, Trump predicted that Israel would continue its attacks on Iran without let-up. However, he added that he might consider sending US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff or Vice President JD Vance to hold talks with Iranian officials.
Vance said that the decision on whether to take further steps to halt Iran’s uranium enrichment programme, suspected by Western powers to be aimed at developing a nuclear weapon “ultimately rests with the president.”
A White House official said Trump was meeting with his National Security Council on Monday afternoon to discuss the ongoing conflict.
The ICIR reported how an Israeli strike on the central Iranian city of Kashan killed three people and injured four others.
Iranian media reported a series of explosions and intense air defence activity in Tehran early Tuesday, with smoke seen rising from the eastern part of the city following the suspected impact of Israeli projectiles.
Explosions were later reported in Tehran and in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, as Israel claimed Iran had launched additional missiles, triggering air raid sirens in Tel Aviv and southern parts of the country.
Israeli strikes have killed several Ayatollah Khamenei’s top military and security advisers, creating significant gaps in his inner circle and increasing the likelihood of strategic missteps, according to impeccable sources familiar with his decision-making process.
The Israeli military claimed that Iran’s military leadership was “on the run” and announced the killing of Iran’s wartime chief of staff, Ali Shadmani, overnight just four days after he replaced another senior commander killed in earlier strikes.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.