Trump calls on Iranian citizens to seize momentum to rise up

Istanbul — US President Donald Trump has renewed his call for the Iranian people to rise up, whilst claiming that Iranian military commanders have surrendered en masse and requested immunity.

“I call upon all Iranian patriots who long for freedom to seize this momentum, be brave, be firm, be heroic, and reclaim your nation,” Trump said on Sunday (1 March) in a video shared via his Truth Social platform.

“America is with you. I have made you a promise and I keep my promises. The rest is up to you,” he added.

Trump claimed that the entire Iranian military command structure has collapsed and officials are “contacting in the thousands” to request immunity.

He urged the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), military, and police to lay down their weapons and accept immunity, or “face certain death.”

He stated that combat operations “are still ongoing with full force and will continue until all our objectives are achieved,” and described the campaign as “necessary” to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran from threatening the United States.

Meanwhile, Tehran has repeatedly stated it is not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.

Trump reiterated that an Iran armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would pose a “serious threat to every American citizen,” and accused Tehran of being the “world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism.”

The Operation Epic Fury launched on Saturday (28 February) reportedly killed several senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In another development, three US military personnel are reported to have been killed and five others severely wounded amid Tehran’s counter-attacks.