White House: Trump to decide when Iran surrenders unconditionally

Washington — The White House said that President Donald Trump himself would decide when Iran has effectively delivered the ‘unconditional surrender’ demanded by Washington, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Friday (6 March).

A few hours earlier, Trump said on Truth Social that there would be no deal with Iran unless it was an unconditional surrender.

‘What the President means is that when he, as the Commander-in-Chief of the US armed forces, determines that Iran no longer poses a threat to the United States, and that the objective of Operation Epic Fury has been fully achieved, Iran will basically be in a position of unconditional surrender, regardless of whether they say so themselves or not,’ Leavitt told reporters.

On Thursday (5 March), Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that his country is not seeking a ceasefire and sees no reason to negotiate with Washington.

The United States and Israel launched a joint military strike against Iran on 28 February, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, several senior military commanders, and hundreds of civilians. Iran responded with several waves of missile and drone attacks aimed at Israel and US assets across the region.