Quick Read
- President Trump vowed to hit Iran ‘very hard’ and demanded unconditional surrender.
- Israel renewed assaults on southern Lebanon, targeting Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders.
- An oil storage facility in Tehran was attacked, with Iran blaming the U.S. and Israel.
- U.S. Special Forces deployment to Iran for uranium ‘extraction’ is reportedly under consideration.
- The conflict has rattled global markets and intensified regional instability.
Washington (AP) – U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated his threats against Iran, vowing to hit the country “very hard” and demanding unconditional surrender as the Middle East conflict enters its second week. The renewed belligerence comes amid reports of Israel renewing its assault on southern Lebanon and an attack on an oil storage facility in Tehran.
Trump Demands Unconditional Surrender from Iran
President Trump declared on Saturday that Iran would be “hit very hard” and that the U.S. was “not looking to settle” the conflict. His statements, made via social media and to reporters aboard Air Force One, underscored a hardline stance that dismisses any possibility of de-escalation. Trump has insisted on total surrender from Tehran and has even pushed for a voice in selecting the country’s next supreme leader. “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Iran Responds, Israel Intensifies Assaults
The escalating rhetoric follows a statement from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who apologized for attacks on “neighboring countries” while asserting that Tehran’s war strategy would not change. Pezeshkian dismissed Trump’s call for surrender as a “dream that they should take to their grave.” Meanwhile, Israel renewed its assault on southern Lebanon early Sunday, targeting commanders of the Lebanese branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force. The Israeli military stated its intention “not to allow Iranian terrorist elements to establish themselves in Lebanese territory.”
Beyond missile and drone strikes, U.S. military options reportedly under serious consideration include deploying Special Forces into Iran. Plans involve potentially entering Esfahan tunnels to “extract” Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and operations on Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil production hub.
Regional Impact and Global Markets
The conflict has already had significant repercussions, rattling global markets and weakening Iran’s leadership under sustained Israeli and American airstrikes. Reports indicate that Kuwaiti border guards were killed in a swarm of missiles and drones. Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon have resulted in multiple fatalities, with a drone strike in Beirut reportedly killing four and wounding ten others. The ongoing hostilities underscore the volatile state of the Middle East and the broader implications for international security and energy markets.
The aggressive posturing and threat of direct U.S. special operations against Iranian nuclear facilities or key infrastructure signal a significant departure from previous U.S. foreign policy approaches, indicating a potential for a protracted and high-stakes confrontation in the Middle East.