Trump Demands “Unconditional Surrender” Amid Escalating Iran-Israel War, Holds High-Stakes Security Meeting
New Delhi, June 18: As Iranian missiles rain down on Israel and Israeli warplanes strike deeper into Tehran, US President Donald Trump is facing mounting pressure to determine whether and how America should escalate its role in the fast-changing conflict. On Tuesday, Trump met behind closed doors with his National Security Council in the White House Situation Room, for what a senior official described as a "high-stakes, hour-and-twenty-minute meeting." The White House, however, has revealed little about the substance of the discussions as reported by the international media.
Trump’s public statements, largely limited to posts on his Truth Social platform, have veered between threats and vague reassurances. “We know exactly where [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] is — he’s an easy target,” Trump wrote on Tuesday. “But he’s safe there... at least for now.” Hours later, in a one-line post in all caps, Trump declared: “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
In his most explicit comments yet, Trump added: “Our patience is wearing thin.” Yet his administration remains tight-lipped on what that means. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to elaborate on Trump’s demands, telling reporters, “We can take his word for his word... but I’m not going to speculate in a larger sense. That is up to the President.”
The rhetoric from both Tehran and Washington has only heightened anxieties. Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei, in his first public comments since the conflict began, posted on X: “The battle begins” and vowed that Iran “will never compromise.” According to Iranian state media, he warned that "no mercy" would be shown.
CNN reports that two senior U.S. officials say Trump is now seriously considering using U.S. military assets to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. A senior Israeli official told CNN, “We’re waiting to see if Trump will help us finish the job.” Tel Aviv has reportedly requested a more active U.S. role, including possible strikes on sites such as Fordow, Iran’s heavily fortified nuclear installation buried deep within a mountain.
According to the BBC, Israel believes only one weapon could reliably reach that site: the U.S.-designed GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a 13,600-kg bunker buster capable of penetrating as deep as 90 metres. The BBC noted that no other country possesses such a weapon.
As tensions rise, the Pentagon has quietly surged more than 30 aerial refuelling tankers to the West Asia or Middle East, according to CNN. Meanwhile, F-35 fighter jets were seen leaving Royal Air Force Lakenheath in eastern England, accompanied by a refuelling plane, fuelling speculation of an looming U.S. intervention. The BBC confirmed the deployment, citing amateur photographs of the jets departing.
Explosions in Tehran, Evacuations in Tel Aviv
The sixth day of hostilities between Israel and Iran saw a new wave of missile exchanges. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) say Iranian Kheiber-Shakan and Fattah hypersonic missiles were among those launched at Israeli targets. Multiple explosions were reported in Tel Aviv, prompting widespread evacuations.
According to Iranian media cited by Reuters, the IDF has issued evacuation warnings to civilians in southern Tehran, specifically District 18, before launching what Israeli officials call "precision strikes" on key Iranian military and missile infrastructure. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claim Israel is also waging a cyber war, targeting Iranian digital networks. Meanwhile, the Iranian government has urged residents in Tel Aviv and Haifa to evacuate, amid reports of intercepted drones and renewed sirens across Israel’s Dead Sea region.
Israel’s Government Press Office said 24 Israelis have been killed and 647 injured. At least 2,725 civilians have been evacuated from border areas. In Iran, government media reports at least 224 people have died in the ongoing Israeli strikes.
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem announced it would remain closed through Friday and ordered all personnel and family members to shelter in place. In a statement cited by CNN, the embassy said it has “no announcement at this time” about assisting private U.S. citizens in leaving the country, adding that Israel’s international airports and seaports remain shut. Around six hundred thousand Americans live in Israel.
Despite all this, the Trump administration’s strategic vision remains unclear. In the past 48 hours, Trump has offered contradictory remarks, declaring both that he won’t assassinate Khamenei “for now” and simultaneously calling for Tehran’s “unconditional surrender.” Analysts say this ambiguity is contributing to confusion in Washington, where lawmakers and diplomats are unsure whether the U.S. is drifting into war, or bluffing to coerce a truce. For now, the world watches the skies over Iran and Israel, waiting to see whether Trump’s next move will be a missile or diplomatic dialogue.
