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Donald Trump says ‘Iran is in ruins', wishes 'good luck' if Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 'doesn't surrender'
Donald Trump's remarks came even as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that the Islamic Republic would “never surrender".
Amid a deepening Israel-Iran conflict, US President Donald Trump said “Iran is in ruins” and warning, “Good luck if they don't surrender". His remarks came even as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that the Islamic Republic would “never surrender,” and warned the United States of “irreparable damage” if it chooses to intervene.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's strongly worded address came six days into a rapidly intensifying conflict that began on Friday, when Israel launched a sweeping long-range bombing campaign targeting Iranian military assets. In response, Iran fired a volley of missiles and drones, triggering fears of a wider war in the Middle East.
"This nation will never surrender," Khamenei said, calling Trump’s demand for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” both “unacceptable” and “arrogant.”
“America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage,” the Supreme Leader warned during a televised address, rallying public support amid widespread devastation in several Iranian cities.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, the US president said his patience had run out, though he did not give any clues as to his next move.
Trump declined to say whether he had made any decision on whether to join Israel's bombing campaign against Iran. “I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do,” Trump said.
Trump said Iranian officials had reached out about negotiations including a possible meeting at the White House but "it's very late to be talking," he said.
"Unconditional surrender, that means I've had it."
Asked for his response to Khamenei rejecting his demand to surrender, Trump said: "I say, good luck."
Iranians jammed the highways out of the capital Tehran, fleeing from intensified Israeli airstrikes.
In its latest bombing run, Israel said its air force had destroyed Iran's police headquarters.
"As we promised – we will continue to strike at symbols of governance and hit the ayatollah regime wherever it may be," Defence Minister Israel Katz said.
Khamenei, 86, rebuked Trump in a recorded speech played on television, his first appearance since Friday.
The Americans "should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage," he said.
"Intelligent people who know Iran, the Iranian nation and its history will never speak to this nation in threatening language because the Iranian nation will not surrender."
Trump has veered from proposing a swift diplomatic end to the five-day-old war to suggesting the United States might join it. In social media posts on Tuesday, he mused about killing Khamenei, then demanded Iran's "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"
A source familiar with internal discussions said Trump and his team were considering options that included joining Israel in strikes against Iranian nuclear installations. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate committee that the Pentagon was prepared to execute any order given by Trump
Iran's mission to the United Nations mocked Trump in posts on X: "Iran does NOT negotiate under duress, shall NOT accept peace under duress, and certainly NOT with a has-been warmonger clinging to relevance," it wrote.
"No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House," it said. "The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to 'take out' Iran’s Supreme Leader."
Israel's military said 50 Israeli jets struck around 20 targets in Tehran overnight, including sites producing raw materials, components and manufacturing systems for missiles. The military told Iranians to leave parts of the capital for their own safety while it struck targets.
(With inputs from Reuters)
