Trump demands unconditional surrender from Iran, mentions regime change
By Morgan Sweeney
The Center Square
President Donald Trump has said he will accept nothing less from Iran than unconditional surrender, according to a social media post on Friday.
“There will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender!” the president wrote on Truth Social.
He also wrote about the selection of a new leader for the country – potentially indicating there may be an expanded U.S. presence in Iran until that is complete – in the same post.
“After [unconditional surrender], and the selection of a great and acceptable leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before,” the president wrote.
“Iran will have a great future. Make Iran Great Again (MIGA!),” Trump concluded in his notorious all-caps style.
The administration has been asked many times since the start of the conflict whether regime change was one of its conditions for a successful military campaign in Iran. At a press briefing Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that it was not one of the goals of Operation Epic Fury, but the administration wants broader political rights for Iranians.
“As for what comes next for Iran, the president has said of course, it's a good thing for the United States to want freedom for the Iranian people, and ultimately, we hope that freedom rests in their hands,” Leavitt said.
Leavitt also responded to questions about America’s “post-conflict” role in Iran, saying the president was “actively considering and discussing with his advisors and his national security team.”
Some of the supporters of the late Ayatollah Ali Khameini, who was killed in the U.S. and Israel’s initial airstrikes on Saturday, reportedly favor his son, Mojtaba Khameini, to replace him.
Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last Shah and the country’s exiled crown prince, has long advocated for regime change. He has lived in the U.S. since 1978, and has spoken about leading the country now that the ayatollah is dead.