US President Donald Trump sharpened his tone towards Iran, and announced on Friday that “there will be no agreement with Iran except unconditional surrender,” in a position that reflects a noticeable escalation on the part of Washington as military tension continues.
In his blog post on the “Truth Social” platform, Trump stated: “Then, after choosing a great and acceptable leader or leaders, we, and many of our wonderful and brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to save Iran from the brink of the abyss, and make it bigger, better, and economically stronger than ever before.”
He added, “Iran will have a great future. Let’s make Iran great again. Thank you for your interest in this matter!”
This statement comes after a series of previous statements by Trump in which he affirmed that the pace and intensity of attacks on Iran will continue, while at the same time expressing his desire to change the ruling regime in Tehran.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump ruled out any ground intervention in Iran, saying: “We are not thinking about a ground attack on Iran right now. They lost everything. They lost their navy. They lost everything they could possibly lose.”
The US President also made clear that Iran’s air defenses and missile capabilities have been completely or largely destroyed, adding: “Their anti-aircraft weapons are gone. So they have no air force. They have no air defense. All their planes are gone.”
On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi confirmed, on Thursday, in an interview with NBC News, that Iran is “prepared for all possibilities,” including any ground operation, and added: “We are waiting for them. We are confident that we can confront them and that this will be disastrous for them.”
In the context of his talk about the future of power in Iran, Trump revealed that he has preferences regarding who can lead the country in the next stage, saying: “We want to change Iran’s leadership and we have preferences for who can be a good leader.”
These statements come in light of the continued American and Israeli attacks on Iranian targets, amid an unprecedented escalation in the intensity of the confrontation, and increasing talk about scenarios related to the future of the leadership in Tehran, while Iran insists on showing its readiness to confront various military scenarios, including any possible ground intervention.
