Trump Escalates Rhetoric Against Iran, Calls for ‘Unconditional Surrender’

OMG, I'm so excited. They're going to drag Ali Khamenei onto a US naval aircraft carrier and Bibi Netanyahu will be joined by Douglass MacArthur to execute the terms of surrender. Then a squadron of 1,500 bombers will fly over Toyko, sorry I mean't Tehran.

Trump Escalates Rhetoric Against Iran, Calls for ‘Unconditional Surrender’

President says U.S. knows location of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

June 17, 2025 at 1:50 PM ET

President Trump called on Iran to surrender without conditions to bring an end to its dayslong conflict with Israel, saying the U.S. knew the location of the country’s leader but was choosing not to take any action. “He is an easy target, but is safe there—We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”

Trump made the comments as the U.S. expanded its military footprint in the region where the war between Israel and Iran entered a fifth day. The president left a G-7 summit in Canada early, saying he wasn’t doing so to work on a cease-fire but for something “much bigger than that.” Asked to clarify, Trump said he wanted “an end, a real end, not a cease-fire.”

The White House said the U.S. isn’t joining Israel’s attacks on Iran, amid speculation fueled by recent military buildup in the region. A third U.S. Navy destroyer entered the eastern Mediterranean Sea to help defend Israel, and a second U.S. carrier strike group is heading toward the Arabian Sea.

While the Pentagon says the military buildup is purely defensive, it puts the U.S. on a firmer footing to join Israeli attacks on Iran should Trump decide to do that. Alternatively, it could be a tactic to pressure Iran to capitulate or make concessions.

Israel and Iran continued to exchange fire, and the death toll in Iran rose to above 450, according to a human-rights group. Israel said it struck dozens of surface-to-surface missile launchers as well as surface-to-air missile launch sites and radars in western Iran. The Israeli military reported 30 missiles were launched by Iran overnight.

What else to know:

The U.N. atomic agency said an Israeli strike directly hit the underground halls at Iran’s largest enrichment facility, Natanz.

Germany’s chancellor said Israel was doing the “dirty work” for other countries by striking Iran’s nuclear sites.

Oil prices rose again as Vice President JD Vance said President Trump “may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment.”

The Israeli military said it killed one of Iran’s most senior military commanders in an airstrike in Tehran.

Tehran residents reported long lines at gas stations and traffic jams as people rushed to flee the city, anticipating more attacks.