Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel. Photo: Reuters
BEIRUT/WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM:
US President Donald Trump on Friday demanded an “unconditional surrender” from Iran, a dramatic escalation of his demands a week after the start of the war he launched alongside Israel, which could make it more difficult to negotiate a rapid end to hostilities.
Trump made the remarks on social media just hours after the Iranian president announced that unspecified countries had begun mediation efforts, one of the first signals of a diplomatic initiative aimed at ending the conflict.
“There will be no agreement with Iran, except an UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” Trump wrote. “After that, and after the selection of a GREAT AND ACCEPTABLE leader or leaders, we, along with many of our wonderful and very courageous 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 demand for capitulation and the likelihood that it would complicate any fast track to ending a conflict that has disrupted global energy supplies caused an immediate shock to financial markets.
European stock markets, open when Trump took office, suffered a sudden collapse. Wall Street opened sharply lower shortly after.
On Thursday, Trump told Reuters in a telephone interview that he was demanding the right to help choose Iran’s new supreme leader, to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war.
Beirut
On the ground, Israel continued a major expansion of the war in Lebanon, shelling the capital Beirut on Friday after ordering an unprecedented evacuation of the city’s entire southern suburbs.
It said it carried out a strike in Beirut targeting a command center used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval unit, as well as strikes on command centers it said were used by Hezbollah.
There was no immediate comment from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards or Hezbollah. It also launched a new wave of attacks on Iran, saying 50 of its warplanes had struck a bunker still used by Iranian leaders beneath the destroyed Khamenei compound in Tehran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X: “Some countries have started mediation efforts.” He did not identify the countries or provide further details. “Let us be clear: we are committed to lasting peace in the region, but we have no hesitation in defending the dignity and authority of our country,” he added.
Israel has expanded its bombing into Lebanon to eliminate Hezbollah. Hezbollah fired on Israel this week to avenge Khamenei’s death.
Israel has intervened in Lebanon several times over the decades, most recently in 2024. But the ferocity of Friday’s strikes was unprecedented. Around 300,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon over the past four days, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council.
In Israel, explosions could be heard as Israeli defenses worked to shoot down Iranian fire. The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have all reported new drone and missile attacks. The Israeli military claims to have destroyed 80% of Iran’s air defense systems in the first week of the campaign and disabled more than 60% of its missile launchers.
Russia is providing Iran with the locations of U.S. warships and aircraft in the Middle East after Iran’s ability to locate U.S. forces was degraded, The Washington Post reported, citing three officials familiar with the intelligence.
Russian missions in the United States did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.
