Trump demands ‘unconditional surrender,’ role in picking Iran’s next leader

WASHINGTON- President Trump said Friday that the United States would accept nothing less than an “unconditional surrender” from Iran, signaling that the possibility of regime change could become a goal as the escalating war in the Middle East enters its seventh day.

In an article for Truth Social, Trump indicated that diplomatic negotiations with Tehran were no longer ongoing and said the United States wanted to play a role in determining Iran’s next leader after any capitulation.

“After that, and after the selection of a GREAT AND ACCEPTABLE leader or leaders, we, along with many of our wonderful and very courageous 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,” Trump wrote.

The comments constitute one of the clearest indications yet that Trump is considering regime change in Iran, a goal that administration officials said was not part of U.S. military strategy but which they now recognize as a key point of focus for the president.

“Of course, it is in the best interest of the United States that Iran is no longer led by a radical terrorist regime that chants ‘Death to America’ and lies to the United States and the world about its secret ambitions to possess a nuclear bomb,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday.

Leavitt stressed that Trump was interested in “who the next leader of the country of Iran will be” but said the negotiation process was “yet to be seen.”

“The president is discussing it and deliberating on it,” she said.

Trump has previously said that Mojtaba Khamenei – the son of former leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has emerged as a leading candidate to succeed his father – would be an “unacceptable” choice. In an interview with Politico on Thursday, the president said he expects his administration to “work with them to help them do the right thing.”

Washington’s renewed push to fill Iran’s leadership vacuum comes as the war rapidly expands across the region, with Israeli forces carrying out attacks on targets in Tehran and Beirut and Iranian forces launching missile and drone attacks against Israel and Persian Gulf countries. The Israeli military also said it had struck an area of ​​Tehran where it said Iran had secretly transferred certain nuclear activities to underground bunkers.

New indications also emerged Friday that Russia, a major nuclear power, is providing intelligence to Iran to help it counter U.S. attacks.

Asked by reporters about this, Leavitt rejected the idea that the involvement of one of Washington’s main adversaries in the conflict would pose problems for the Americans.

“It clearly makes no difference when it comes to military operations in Iran, because we are completely decimating [Iran]”, Leavitt said. “We are achieving the military objectives of this operation and it will continue.”

Leavitt’s remarks come as the president meets with six defense contractors at the White House to discuss efforts to increase the U.S. stockpile of weapons and munitions.

“The U.S. military has more than sufficient ammunition and weapons stockpiles to continue to demolish the Iranian regime and achieve the objectives of Operation Epic Fury,” Leavitt said in a statement. “Nevertheless, President Trump has always been intensely focused on strengthening our military, which is why this meeting with defense contractors was scheduled weeks ago. »

While the White House has maintained that U.S. military operations are proceeding as planned, new evidence suggests that a strike that killed more than 100 people, including children, at an Iranian elementary school was likely caused by a U.S. attack, the Associated Press reported.

The explosion at a primary school – located near a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – is considered the deadliest strike of the war. Trump administration officials said this week that the United States was investigating the strike and had not yet taken responsibility for it.

But in a statement Friday, U.S. military officials said Iran was “deliberately” targeting civilians across the Middle East.

Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said in a statement that on Thursday evening, Iranian forces fired seven attack drones on civilian and residential neighborhoods in Bahrain.

“This is unacceptable and will not go unanswered,” Cooper said. “We will continue to work with our regional partners to address this threat to innocent people in the region. »

The White House’s message on the war was accompanied by a series of video montages on social media featuring Hollywood films and video games that appear designed to rally domestic support for Trump’s war efforts.

In a 31-second video posted to the official White House account on

Another video montage aimed at marketing the administration’s efforts in Iran used clips from the video game “Grand Theft Auto” with one of its characters saying, “Oh shit, here we go again.” »

The tone of the social media campaign highlights the administration’s efforts to present the conflict in dramatic and patriotic terms as questions grow about its potential human toll.

In an interview with Time, Trump once again acknowledged the possibility of American losses – not only abroad but also at home.

Asked if Americans should be worried about retaliation at home, Trump replied: “I guess so.”

“You know, we expect certain things,” Trump said. “Like I said, some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die.”

Trump’s response drew sharp criticism from congressional Democrats, a majority of whom attempted to curb Trump’s efforts through legislative action, to no avail in the Republican-controlled Congress.

Senator Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was offended by the president’s “I guess” response to the question of domestic attacks.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. We have completely unserious and completely incompetent people dragging us into a senseless, murderous war,” Murphy said.

Asked about American sentiment about the war and divisions within Trump’s base, Leavitt told reporters that social media is “not real life.”

“This president lives in the real world,” she said. “There is nothing more America First than eliminating the terrorists who have maimed or killed our own military, who chant about the death of America, and who pose a threat to the homeland. »

As the world has watched the war in Iran unfold over the past seven days, Trump has increasingly implied in his public statements that he also hopes to take action in Cuba in the near future.

“Cuba is going to fall soon,” Trump told CNN in a telephone interview on Friday. “Cuba will fall too. They want to make a deal so bad.”

Trump told CNN he plans to put Secretary of State Marco Rubio in charge of negotiations with Cuba, an island facing increased instability following the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

At a White House event Thursday, Trump said he would first like to “end” the conflict with Iran, but that his administration planned to turn its attention to Cuba soon.