Trump calls for Iran's 'unconditional surrender' as Israel-Iran air war rages on

 

Trump weighing options as Iran conflict escalates

Smoke billows in the distance from an oil refinery following an Israeli strike on the Iranian capital Tehran. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

WASHINGTON/DUBAI/JERUSALEM: President Donald Trump called on Tuesday for Iran's unconditional surrender and warned US patience was wearing thin, but said there was no intention to kill Iran's leader "for now", as the Israel-Iran air war raged for a fifth day.

Explosions were reported in Tehran and the city of Isfahan in central Iran, while Israel said Iran fired more missiles late on Tuesday and early Wednesday. Air raid sirens sounded in southern and central Israel, and explosions were heard over Tel Aviv. The Israeli military said it had conducted strikes on 12 missile launch sites and storage facilities in Tehran.

Trump's comments, delivered via social media, suggested a more aggressive stance toward Iran as he weighs whether to deepen US involvement.

"We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding," he wrote on Truth Social. "We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now... Our patience is wearing thin."

Three minutes later, he posted, "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could face the same fate as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a US-led invasion and hanged in 2006 after a trial.

"I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and fire missiles at Israeli citizens," Katz told top Israeli military officials.

Trump's sometimes contradictory and cryptic messaging about the conflict between close US ally Israel and longtime foe Iran has deepened the uncertainty surrounding the crisis. His public comments have ranged from military threats to diplomatic overtures — not uncommon for a president known for an often erratic approach to foreign policy.

Trump said on Monday that he might send US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff or Vice President JD Vance to meet Iranian officials. The president said his early departure from the Group of Seven nations summit in Canada had "nothing to do" with working on a ceasefire deal, and that something "much bigger" was expected.

Britain's leader Keir Starmer said there was no indication the US was about to enter the conflict.

Trump met for 90 minutes with his National Security Council on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the conflict, a White House official said. Details were not immediately available.

The US is deploying more fighter aircraft to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other warplanes, three US officials told Reuters. The move follows other deployments that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described as defensive in nature. The US has so far only taken defensive actions in the current conflict with Iran, including helping to shoot down missiles fired toward Israel.

Women react as they check the destruction in the northern Arab-Israeli city of Tamra. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)

Regional Influence Weakens

Khamenei's main military and security advisers have been killed by Israeli strikes, hollowing out his inner circle and raising the risk of strategic errors, according to five people familiar with his decision-making process.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had killed Iran's wartime chief of staff Ali Shadmani, four days after he replaced another top commander killed in the strikes.

With Iranian leaders suffering their most dangerous security breach since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the country's cybersecurity command banned officials from using communications devices and mobile phones, Fars news agency reported.

Israel launched a "massive cyber war" against Iran's digital infrastructure, Iranian media reported.

Ever since Iran-backed Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7, 2023, and triggered the Gaza war, Khamenei's regional influence has waned as Israel has pounded Iran's proxies — from Hamas in Gaza to Hizbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq. Iran's close ally, Syria's autocratic president Bashar al-Assad, has been ousted.

Israel launched its air war — its largest ever on Iran — on Friday after saying it had concluded the Islamic Republic was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has pointed to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the international Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed that he will not back down until Iran's nuclear development is disabled, while Trump says the Israeli assault could end if Iran agrees to strict curbs on enrichment.

Before Israel's attack began, the 35-nation board of governors of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years.

The IAEA said on Tuesday an Israeli strike directly hit the underground enrichment halls at the Natanz facility.

The Iranian news website Eghtesadonline, which covers economic news, reported on Tuesday that Iran arrested a foreigner for filming "sensitive" areas at the Bushehr nuclear power plant for Israel's spy agency Mossad.

People take cover inside a cable car tunnel following a missile attack from Iran on Israel, at Haifa, Israel June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Itay Cohen

Iranian security forces also arrested a "terrorist team" linked to Israel with explosives in a town southwest of the capital Tehran, Iranian state media reported.

Oil Markets on Alert

Israel says it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in coming days.

But Israel will struggle to deal a knock-out blow to deeply buried nuclear sites like Fordow, which is dug beneath a mountain, without the US joining the attack. Israel's Katz said Fordow was an issue that will be addressed.

Iran has so far fired nearly 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones towards Israel, with about 35 missiles penetrating Israel's defensive shield, Israeli officials say.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they hit Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate and the foreign intelligence service Mossad's operational centre early on Tuesday. There was no Israeli confirmation.

Iranian officials have reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Residents of both countries have been evacuated or fled.

Global oil markets are on high alert following strikes on sites including the world's biggest gas field, South Pars, shared by Iran and Qatar.

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Force cannot bring peace to Middle East – this is a consensus in international community

Force cannot bring peace to Middle East – this is a consensus in international community

A plume of heavy smoke rises over an oil refinery in southern of Tehran, after it was hit in an overnight Israeli strike, on June 15, 2025. Photo: AFP

On Monday, the conflict between Israel and Iran entered its fourth day, with both sides escalating the intensity of their confrontation in a cycle of tit-for-tat violence. The mutual attacks have not only resulted in casualties and infrastructure damage but have also set a dangerous precedent by targeting nuclear and energy facilities, sparking deep concerns within the international community about the potential for the situation to spiral out of control.

Israel and Iran are both important countries in the Middle East. The relationship between Israel and Iran bears on the overall situation of war and peace in the Middle East. The urgent task is to immediately take measures to avoid the escalation of the conflict, prevent the region from falling into greater turmoil, and return to the track of resolving issues through diplomatic means. Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held separate phone calls with the Iranian and Israeli foreign ministers, calling on both sides to resolve differences through dialogue. Relevant parties need to take measures immediately to put a brake on the escalation of the conflict and bring down the temperature of the situation. Russia, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom have also expressed a willingness to mediate. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote on social media: "Israeli bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites. Iranian missile strikes in Tel Aviv. Enough escalation. Time to stop. Peace and diplomacy must prevail."

It is crucial to fully recognize that only by upholding the vision of common security can the legitimate concerns of all parties be thoroughly addressed. Why are maximum pressure and preemptive action not viable paths? The long and troubled history of the Iran nuclear issue itself proves this point. On the surface, the conflict appears to be triggered by the "nuclear" question, but at its core, it is yet another manifestation of a deep-rooted security dilemma. Israel, fearing that Iran's development of nuclear weapons poses a threat to its security, has adopted a "preemptive" strategy. However, its actions that infringe upon Iran's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity have, in turn, led to greater insecurity for itself. In fact, the moment when the Iran nuclear issue came closest to resolution was not achieved through a "preemptive" strike; rather, it was the result of 13 years of "marathon" negotiations and the greatest collective efforts by the international community, culminating in the achievement of a binding comprehensive agreement in 2015. Had it not been for the US later withdrawing from the deal, and had the agreement been earnestly and fully implemented, both Iran and Israel would clearly be much safer today.

Ancient Roman scholar Marcus Tullius Cicero once pointed out: "Most people think that the achievements of war are more important than those of peace; but this opinion needs to be corrected." The late former president of Israel, Shimon Peres, expressed a similar sentiment: "The real triumph is in the harvest of peace, not in the seeds of another war." The many military conflicts in the history of the Middle East have not quelled disputes; rather, they have planted the seeds for future confrontations. The vicious cycle of violence and confrontation has deepened divisions among countries in the region, making the path to peacefully resolving disputes increasingly difficult. To break free from bloodshed and turmoil, the Middle East must first abandon the old mind-set of "beggaring thy neighbor" and embrace a new security vision that is common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable.

It is important to recognize that, despite differing positions and philosophies among regional countries on security issues, there are still common interests. Only through dialogue, rather than confrontation, can differences and antagonism be reduced and the broadest possible foundation for cooperation be found.

As a country with special influence over Israel, the US should particularly take on its due responsibility as a major power in both words and actions. For a long time, the general impression has been that the US hardly plays a constructive role in alleviating regional conflicts, but it excels at destructive actions. The ongoing fires of conflict in the Middle East are closely related to the "visible hand" of external powers. Many analysts believe that the US attempt to force Iran to yield through "maximum pressure" has been a significant factor in the sudden escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran. In an editorial, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao stated that Washington had previously given Iran 60 days to reach a nuclear deal, and Israel launched its attack on the 61st day, "showing the diplomatic tacit understanding of both sides playing the roles of good cop and bad cop." A New York Times article last year compared the US to lion, the "king of the Middle East jungle" and Iran to a "parasitic wasp," claiming that in order to "kill the wasp," the US needs to "set fire to the whole jungle." This kind of thinking is extremely dangerous.

The security concerns of Middle Eastern countries need to be addressed, and military force cannot bring peace to the region. This is a common consensus in the international community, including China. Currently, diplomatic means regarding the Iranian nuclear issue have not been exhausted, and a peaceful resolution is still possible. Most importantly, both parties in the conflict and relevant stakeholders should take immediate measures to create conditions for returning to dialogue and negotiation to resolve the issues. Global Times editorial

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