Trump demands Iran’s ‘unconditional surrender’ and says US won’t kill supreme leader ‘for now’
Donald Trump has posted on social media that the United States knows the location of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He added that the US would not kill Khamenei but called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender”.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
He followed up with a second post a few minutes later, writing: “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
In a post published about thirty minutes earlier, Trump said, “We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.”
Key events
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said Wednesday that hypersonic missiles were used during the latest attack on Israel, reports Agence France Presse.
“The 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3 using Fattah-1 missiles” was carried out, the Guards said in a statement carried by state television, claiming that Iranian forces “have gained complete control over the skies of the occupied territories”.
There was no indication this was true at the time of posting.
As questions abound about whether the US may intervene in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, president Trump has posted this update on his Truth Social platform.
It is my Great Honor to announce that I will be putting up two beautiful Flag Poles on both sides of the White House, North and South Lawns. It is a GIFT from me of something which was always missing from this magnificent place. The digging and placement of the poles will begin at 7:30 A.M. EST, tomorrow morning. Flags will be raised at approximately 11 A.M. EST. These are the most magnificent poles made – They are tall, tapered, rust proof, rope inside the pole, and of the highest quality. Hopefully, they will proudly stand at both sides of the White House for many years to come!”
US national intelligence officer, Tulsi Gabbard, left no doubt when she testified to Congress about Iran’s nuclear program earlier this year, telling lawmakers that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon, and its supreme leader had not reauthorised the dormant program even though it had enriched uranium to higher levels.
But, as the Associated Press reports, President Trump dismissed the assessment of US spy agencies during an overnight flight back to Washington as he cut short his trip to the G7 summit in Canada to focus on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
“I don’t care what she said,” Trump told reporters. In his view, Iran was “very close” to having a nuclear bomb.
Trump’s statement aligned him more closely with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has described a nuclear-armed Iran as an imminent threat, than with his own top intelligence adviser.
Administration officials have downplayed the apparent inconsistency, saying that enriching uranium can put Iran on track to having a nuclear weapon.
Residents of Iran’s capital were seen leaving the city as shops and the historic Grand Bazaar in Tehran were closed on Tuesday, the fifth day of the intensifying conflict started by Israel, reports the Associated Press.
Witnesses said strong explosions rocked buildings in western and eastern parts of Tehran on Tuesday evening. An Associated Press reporter could hear sounds of explosions and anti-aircraft batteries firing from all directions.
On the roads out of Tehran to the west, traffic stood bumper to bumper, and long lines also could be seen at gas stations.
“It looks like no one is living in this city,” one resident told the AP by phone.
The Israel-Iran conflict, in pictures.
Smoke rises from a fire in Tehran, Iran, on 17 June.
People take shelter in an underground metro station near Tel Aviv, Israel, on 17 June.
People run along a street amid smoke following the Israeli strikes in Tehran on 15 June.
People evacuate after a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv on 16 June.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has posted another message on X vowing that Iran will respond in no uncertain terms to Israel.
We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy.”
The IDF says it has now “begun a wave of strikes in the Tehran area”.
Media outlets such as the New York Times and CNN are reporting that US president Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have spoken on the phone, as questions remain about whether the US may intervene in the conflict.
No readout of the conversation was made available.
One of the pressing questions regarding the Israel-Iran conflict is whether the US will intervene.
As the Guardian’s defence and security editor, Dan Sabbagh, writes:
“Only the US is considered to have a bomb large enough – the GBU 57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator – to possibly destroy Fordow, one of Iran’s two main uranium enrichment sites, estimated to be 80-90 metres below a mountain.”
Read more on the Fordow underground facility here, and what clues military movements show about possible US involvement.
In the last 30 minutes the IDF has also said that for the 2nd time in less than an hour, “families across Israel are running for shelter as sirens sound due to a missile launch from Iran.”
Israel’s defense forces (IDF) has issued a warning, via a social media post on X, urging residents in Tehran to evacuate before planned military strikes.
Urgent warning to employees and all individuals located in Area 18 of Tehran, as indicated on the attached map. In the coming hours, the Israeli army will take action in this area, as it has done in recent days in the Tehran region, to strike the military infrastructure of the Iranian regime. Dear citizens, for your safety and well-being, we urgently request that you immediately evacuate the designated area in Tehran’s Area 18. Your presence in this area puts your life at risk.”
Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has posted a message on X about the ongoing conflict with Israel, a message that comes after US president Trump said he had no intention of killing the Iranian leader “for now”.
Citing a verse from the Qur’an, Ali Khamenei wrote:
Help from Allah and an imminent conquest” (Holy Quran: 61:13).
The Islamic Republic will triumph over the Zionist regime by the will of God.”
Today So Far
As the world awaits Donald Trump’s decision on whether the United States will enter the Israel-Iran conflict by lending military support to Israel or push for negotiations between the two countries, here are the headlines we’ve been following today so far.
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Donald Trump posted on social media that the United States knows the location of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He added that the US would not kill Khamenei “for now” but called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender”. In an apparent response to the president’s post, senator Bernie Sanders said the president “must not take illegal military action against Iran”. Yesterday, Democratic senator Tim Kaine introduced a war powers resolution that would prohibit US armed forces from taking direct action against Iran without explicit authorization from Congress or a declaration of war. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said that Iran’s supreme leader could face the same fate as Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a US-led invasion and was eventually hanged after a trial.
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Following a Situation Room briefing with members of his national security team, Trump is evaluating whether to lend his support to Israel by targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility is located beneath a mountain that will be difficult for Israeli forces to penetrate without the assistance of the United States, which is the only country that possesses bombs that can break through the underground bunker.
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In a lengthy post on social media, JD Vance responded to concerns from longtime members of Donald Trump’s far-right Make America Great Again coalition about US involvement in foreign wars. Later, he met with Republican senators at a private lunch where North Dakota senator Kevin Cramer said the message was: Trump “remains committed to Iran not having a nuclear capability,” and “would rather negotiate than drop bombs”.
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The State Department has established a task force to assist US citizens and permanent residents trying to leave the Middle East as hostilities continue between Israel and Iran. A task force operated by the Bureau of Consular Affairs is operating 24 hours a day, however the United States is not planning any evacuation flights.
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World leaders, including Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and French president Emmanuel Macron, reacted to the unfolding conflict. In a phone call with the Emir of Qatar, Erdogan called Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu the “greatest threat to the region’s security”. Later, speaking on the sidelines of the G7, Macron cautioned that “the biggest error would be to use military strikes to change the regime because it would then be chaos”.
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US intelligence assessments have found Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon and would have been up to three years away from being able to deliver one, CNN is reporting. The assessments, sourced to four people familiar with them, are in stark contrast to the narrative being pushed by Israel that Iran was fast approaching a point of no return in acquiring nuclear weapons.
Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman is a “hell yes” on the United States targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, NBC News reports.
The Democrat, who has grown increasingly close with Donald Trump since his election in 2022, told reporters “I’ve been saying, ‘Oh, hell yes,’ for I think it’s almost six weeks”. He added, “bombing and destroying their nuclear facilities, that’s about peace” and noted that he opposes the war powers resolution introduced by his Senate colleague Tim Kaine.
Following a lengthy social media post that appeared aimed at quelling the fears of conservative detractors of Donald Trump’s involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, JD Vance met with Republican senators at a private lunch.
After the event, North Dakota senator Kevin Cramer told the Associated Press the message had been: Trump “remains committed to Iran not having a nuclear capability,” and “would rather negotiate than drop bombs”.
Senate majority leader John Thune added that Trump is acting within his authority “to do what he’s done so far” and that a war powers resolution like that proposed by Democratic senator Tim Kaine is premature.
Trump considering options including US strike on Iran, reports say
Following a Situation Room briefing with members of his national security team, Donald Trump is evaluating whether to lend his support to Israel by targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.
After the meeting, multiple current and former administration officials told NBC News that the president is considering various options, including a US strike.
“We are waiting for the decision of the president,” a senior Israeli official told CNN.
Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility is located beneath a mountain that will be difficult for Israeli forces to penetrate without the assistance of the United States, which is the only country that possesses bombs that can break through the underground bunker.
Two Israeli officials told CNN that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu hopes Trump offers that support of his own accord, rather than pressuring him into it.
