Nearly a week after the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, President Donald Trump demanded “unconditional surrender” from the Middle Eastern country.
The demand comes as America and Israel continue to attack Iran, despite retaliatory strikes against Israel and U.S. military assets across the Middle East, specifically targeting Iraq, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.
“There will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“After that, and the selection of a great & 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,” he added.
“Iran will have a great future. Make Iran Great Again (MIGA!),” the President concluded. Trump’s latest statement made it clear that he is not looking forward to a negotiated settlement.
“There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!… IRAN WILL HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. ‘MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!).’” – President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/H2HKkBVkww
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 6, 2026
With the war set to enter its second week, it remains unknown who will lead Iran after its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was assassinated in the strikes last week. It is also unclear when the conflict will come to a close, and on what terms the US will conclude its offensive.
According to the BBC, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that they are expecting the situation “to last about 4 to 6 weeks,” and are “well on our way to achieving those objectives, annihilating Iran’s navy.” She also said Trump did not want Iran to be led by “a radical terrorist or a regime that chants death to America.”
“[Trump] wants to take an interest in and pursuing who the next leader of the Iranian country is going to be. And that has yet to be seen, the president is discussing it,” Leavitt stated. The President himself told Axios that he is likely to play a part in the selection of Iran’s next leader.
Meanwhile, multiple inside sources, including a senior American official with direct knowledge, told CBS News that Russia allegedly helped Iran with intelligence on American positions, including locations of US warships and aircraft in the Middle East. However, there is no official confirmation of the claim at the time of writing.
When asked about the report, Leavitt said it was “not making a difference.” One may note that Russia has long been Iran’s ally. Ever since President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Tehran has helped Moscow with thousands of Shahed drones.
On the other hand, the US has reportedly helped Ukraine with weapons. Some reports also suggested that America even allegedly helped Ukraine with intelligence, aiding their attacks against Russian troops.
Leavitt on reports that Russia is sharing intelligence with Iran to help them target US assets: “Whether or not this happened, frankly, it does not really matter” pic.twitter.com/aTQfmjRSMg
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 6, 2026
On Friday, Putin reportedly spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and expressed condolences over the death of Khamenei and other officials. The Kremlin said that Putin reiterated Russia’s desire to end the conflict and emphasized support for a diplomatic resolution.
“Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Russia’s principled stance in favour of an immediate cessation of hostilities, the rejection of force as a method to solve any issues surrounding Iran or arising in the Middle East, and a swift return to the path of diplomatic resolution,” the Kremlin said.
“Masoud Pezeshkian expressed gratitude for Russia’s solidarity with the Iranian people as they defend their sovereignty and the independence of their country. He also provided a detailed update on the developments during the latest active phase of the conflict,” it further added.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also confirmed that Russia is continuing to communicate with Iranian leaders. However, he did not mention whether the two nations continued military co-operation, the BBC reported.
When US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked about rumors of Russia allegedly helping Iran during an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes, he said Trump is “well aware of who’s talking to who.”
