On Friday, President Donald Trump said that the war with Iran will only end if the country accepts "unconditional surrender." The remark came as the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran entered its second week, with airstrikes, missile launches, and regional tensions continuing to intensify across the Middle East.
In a message posted on his Truth Social platform and later repeated in comments to reporters, Trump wrote: "There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"
He also 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."
The statement comes days after U.S. and Israeli airstrikes killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an operation that also killed hundreds of children at a school in Tehran. The exiled son of the last Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, has thrown his hat into the running for the next leader of Iran and has met with Trump administration officials. However, Trump has indicated that his administration hasn't been "thinking too much about that. It would seem to me that somebody from within, maybe, would be more appropriate."
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf replied on X that "Trump still doesn't realize what calamity he has brought upon himself and the American soldiers by martyring our Imam, and he wants to dictate terms to a nation. The Americans, instead of taking a hard line, had not done so, and now they will come to understand that the fate of dear Iran, which is more precious than life, will be determined solely by the proud Iranian nation, not by Epstein's gang."
ترامپ هنوز خبر ندارد با شهید کردن امام ما چه بلایی بر سر خود و سربازان آمریکایی آورده و میخواهد برای یک ملت تعیین تکلیف کند.
— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) March 6, 2026
آمریکاییها به جای سخت برخورد نکرده بودند و حالا شیرفهم خواهند شد که سرنوشت ایران عزیزتر از جان را فقط ملت سربلند ایران رقم خواهد زد نه دارودستهٔ اپستین.
What remains of Iran's government has maintained that it is prepared and ready for a ground invasion or any other tactic the United States takes against it. President Mahmoud Pezeshkian says the government "has begun its work" finding a new leader for Iran.
Trump's comments come amid an expanding military campaign involving U.S. and Israeli forces targeting Iranian military infrastructure, missile systems, and naval assets. According to U.S. officials, dozens of Iranian naval vessels and key defense sites have already been destroyed since the fighting began. Iran, meanwhile, has responded with missile and drone attacks against Israeli territory and U.S. interests in the region, including bases and infrastructure in Gulf countries.
Iranian strikes have also targeted oil facilities, shipping lanes, and refineries in the Gulf, contributing to fears of sustained supply losses. A drone attack on Saudi Arabia's massive Ras Tanura refinery, one of the largest oil processing hubs in the world, forced the facility to halt some operations temporarily while exports were rerouted through alternative routes.
Airstrikes have also extended beyond Iran itself. Israeli forces have struck Iranian-backed militias in Lebanon, while Iran's proxies have intensified attacks against Israeli targets. The United Nations refugee agency claims that over 330,000 people have been displaced as a result of the recent conflict.
