Trump weighs US involvement in Israel-Iran conflict, considering military action while Iran seeks negotiations. Unconditional surrender demanded.

Washington: President Donald Trump said he was considering on Wednesday whether the United States would join Israeli strikes on Iran and said that Tehran had reached out to seek negotiations on ending the conflict.

Speaking as he watched the installation of a new flagpole at the White House, Trump added that his patience “had already run out” with Iran and repeated his call for the Islamic republic’s “unconditional surrender.”

“I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” Trump told reporters on the South Lawn when asked if he had decided whether to launch US air strikes.

“I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate.”

Trump said Iran had even suggested sending officials to the White House for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program in a bid to end Israel’s air assault, but added that it was “very late.”

“I said it’s very late to be talking. We may meet. There’s a big difference between now and a week ago, right? Big difference,” Trump added.

“They’ve suggested that they come to the White House. That’s, you know, courageous, but it’s, like, not easy for them to do.”

When asked if it was too late for negotiations, he said: “Nothing is too late.”

Trump had favoured a diplomatic route to end Iran’s nuclear program, seeking a deal to replace the one he tore up in his first term in 2018.

But since Israel launched strikes on Iran six days ago, Trump has moved in behind the key US ally and is now weighing whether to use US military power against Tehran too.

Trump issued a series of bellicose statements on social media on Tuesday, saying that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was an “easy target” and calling for Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”.

Khamenei said Wednesday the nation would never surrender and warned the United States of “irreparable damage” if it intervenes.

Asked on Wednesday what he meant by his earlier statement, Trump replied: “Two very simple words. It’s very simple — unconditional surrender.”

“That means I’ve had it, okay? I’ve had it. I give up, no more, we go and blow up all the nuclear stuff that’s all over the place,” Trump said.

Trump, meanwhile, backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue Israel’s offensive against Iran. Iran has hit back with salvos of ballistic missiles.

Asked what he had told Netanyahu in a call on Tuesday, he said: “Keep going. I speak to him every day, he’s a good man, doing a lot.”

The US president, however, rebuffed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to mediate in the Israel-Iran conflict, saying Russia should end its war in Ukraine first.

“He actually offered to help mediate, I said, ‘Do me a favour, mediate your own. Let’s mediate Russia first, okay? You can worry about this later,” Trump said.

Iran later denied it had offered to send officials to Washington.

“No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House,” Iran’s mission to the UN said in a post on X.

“The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to ‘take out Iran’s Supreme Leader.”

AFP

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday declined to answer reporters’ questions on whether the US was planning to strike Iran or its nuclear facilities, and said the Iranians had reached out but he feels “it’s very late to be talking.”

“There’s a big difference between now and a week ago,” Trump told reporters outside the White House.

“Nobody knows what I’m going to do.” Trump said that Iran had proposed to come for talks at the White House. He did not provide details. He described Iran as totally defenseless, with no air defense whatsoever.

The US military said it is “prepared to execute” any decision President Donald Trump might make on matters of war and peace, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday, even as he declined to confirm preparations of strike options on Iran.

“If and when those decisions are made, the Department (of Defense) is prepared to execute them,” Hegseth told the Senate Armed Services Committee

Meanwhile, Iranians jammed the highways out of the capital Tehran fleeing from intensified Israeli airstrikes.

In the latest bombing, Israel said its air force destroyed the headquarters of Iran’s internal security service. “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.

The Iranian Red Crescent said Wednesday that an Israeli attack took place near its building in Tehran, on the sixth day of an air war between Iran and Israel, noting that the strike appeared to not be targeting the aid group.

In a statement on its Telegram channel, the Red Crescent reporting an “attack by the Zionist regime near the Red Crescent Peace building.”

Earlier, Khamenei, 86, rebuked Trump in a recorded speech played on television, his first appearance since Friday.

He warned the United States and Israel of “irreparable damage” if they continue military provocations against the Islamic Republic.

Khamenei said the Iranian nation “will never be subdued” and that any attempt at foreign military intervention would be met with full force. He declared that Iran’s armed forces are prepared to defend the country and enjoy the full backing of the government.

“The Zionist regime made a grave mistake and will face consequences,” Khamenei said, referring to recent violations of Iranian airspace. “Iran will not forgive this breach and our people will not remain silent.”

He added that Iran would respond with strength to both “imposed war” and “imposed peace”, saying the nation would not bow to threats or coercion.

“The blood of our martyrs will not be forsaken,” he said, warning that wise leaders should avoid speaking to Iran “in a threatening tone” as history shows the Iranian people resist domination.

Regional tensions have escalated since Friday, when Israel launched airstrikes on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.

A Washington-based human rights organisation had reported Wednesday that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes across Tehran and other populated areas has risen to around 585 killed with at least 1,326 people injured since the attacks started last week.

Israeli authorities said at least 24 people have been killed and 804 injured since Iranian missile attacks struck 40 different locations acrosss Israeli territory.

IRGC launches ‘advanced weapons’

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) earlier announced that the country had carried out fresh strikes on Israeli targets, utilising its newly developed Fattah-1 hypersonic missiles

The IRGC’s statement emphasised that the Fattah-1 missile had successfully penetrated Israeli air defense systems, delivering a powerful blow to the occupying regime.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday declined to answer reporters’ questions on whether the US was planning to strike Iran or its nuclear facilities, and said the Iranians had reached out but he feels ‘it’s very late to be talking’.

“There’s a big difference between now and a week ago,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “I may do it,” he said. “I may not do it. Nobody knows what I’m going to do.”

Trump said that Iran had proposed to come for talks at the White House. He did not provide details. He described Iran as totally defenceless, with no air defence whatsoever.

Donald Trump said next week is going to be “very big” after he was asked whether the US will join Israel’s military action against Iran.

“Next week will be decisive regarding Iran, and it may happen before the end of the week,” Mr Trump told reporters on White House South Lawn.

“I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do. I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble,” he said.

The president is considering backing Israeli strikes on Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear site, which so far has been spared damage.

The Prime Minister today is expected to discuss how to respond if the US president asks the UK for support in conducting strikes against Iran.

Mr Trump also said that Iran had reached out to negotiate and offered to visit the White House.

“Iran’s got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate,” the US president told reporters. “And I said, why didn’t you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction? Why didn’t you go?”

US President Donald Trump claimed that the States had taken “complete and total control of the skies over Iran.” He further warned Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei saying that “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The long-simmering tensions between Israel and Iran have exploded into open warfare since Friday, June 13, 2025, marking an unprecedented period of direct military confrontation. Israel initiated a major campaign of fighter jet and drone strikes across Iran, targeting nuclear and military sites, including surface-to-surface missile production facilities, detection radar sites, and surface-to-air missile launchers. Reports indicate strikes on residential areas and fuel depots, with Iran’s health ministry reporting at least 224 fatalities and over 1,200 injuries, mostly civilians. Israeli forces have also reportedly killed several top Iranian military commanders and atomic scientists. The IDF claims to have destroyed one-third of Iran’s surface-to-surface missile launchers and achieved “full air superiority over Tehran,” also striking an Iranian refueling aircraft 2,300 km away.

In retaliation, Tehran has launched barrages of missiles and drones, hitting Israeli cities and towns, causing at least 24 deaths and 592 injuries, with a major oil refinery in Haifa among the targets. The IDF confirmed intercepting over 100 Iranian UAVs.

The international community, including China, Turkey, and G7 leaders, has urgently called for de-escalation, but both sides remain defiant. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserts the offensive aims to thwart “existential” nuclear and missile threats and has not ruled out targeting Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, suggesting it would “end the conflict.” The UN’s IAEA reported physical damage to an above-ground component of Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility but normal external radiation levels, while warning of potential internal contamination. Amidst the crisis, planned nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington were called off.