Trump claims Iran has surrendered

US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran has apologised to its neighbours in the Middle East and promised not to attack them again after sustained bombardment by American and Israeli forces. In a post on Truth Social on Saturday (7 March), Trump said: ‘Iran, which is being hammered, has apologised and surrendered to its neighbouring Middle Eastern countries and promised not to shoot at them again.’ He boasted that this was a historic moment never seen before, saying Iran’s neighbours now thank him for his intervention: ‘This is the first time in thousands of years Iran has been defeated by the neighbouring Middle Eastern countries around it. They say ’thank you, President Trump’ and I say ‘you’re welcome’’.

Trump added that Iran no longer has the fangs to bully the region, predicting its position would continue to weaken in the coming decades ‘until they surrender and collapse’. Despite claiming surrender, Trump signalled a larger escalation. Citing RIA Novosti, he threatened a major attack on Saturday with broader targets, including areas previously untouched. ‘Today Iran will be hit very hard. Regions and groups that were previously not considered targets are now being considered for total destruction,’ wrote Trump on Truth Social.

As of now, there has been no official statement from Tehran or Gulf states confirming the claim of an apology. However, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the UN, had previously asserted a hard line, saying Iran would continue to resist while what he called ‘barbaric American and Israeli actions’ are not stopped.

The Middle East situation has deteriorated after the US and Israel began bombing Iran on 28 February. The strikes were reported to have killed more than 900 people, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and at least 165 schoolgirls. In response, Iran launched waves of drones and missiles targeting bases connected with the US in the Gulf region.