Trump’s War Aim: Iran’s ‘unconditional Surrender’

President Donald Trump outlined his administration’s ultimate goal for the war in Iran on Friday: “unconditional surrender” by the Islamic Republic’s leaders.

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that “there will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” Following Tehran’s submission to the ongoing military campaign should be “the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s),” Trump said.

Then, the U.S. and its allies will begin the work to “bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”

Trump’s message — coming after days of mixed signals from administration officials — articulates that the U.S. has no intention of providing Tehran with an off-ramp for a deal. It also clarifies the administration’s ultimate aims nearly one full week into a war that has already claimed several American lives, in addition to those of U.S. allies and Iranian citizens.

The post diverges from what the president himself said when he announced the U.S.’ operation against Iran last Saturday. In a video statement at the time, Trump said the administration’s goals were to “destroy” Tehran’s missiles and its missile industry, "annihilate" its navy and prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Now, the president has expanded those aims to include regime change.

Trump had already indicated that he wants to play a role in picking the country’s next leader after the joint U.S.-Israeli operation killed the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the weekend. The president told POLITICO in an interview Thursday that he plans to “have a big impact” in that process.

Speaking to press in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said that he preferred to work with “somebody from within” the current regime — though he admitted that the number of options was dwindling as “most of the people we had in mind are dead.”

It's a playbook that has already worked for Trump in Venezuela, leading to a solid working relationship with interim President Delcy Rodríguez.

Trump himself has made the link between his projects in Venezuela and Iran, telling CNN on Friday “it’s going to work like it did in Venezuela.” Rodríguez is “doing a fantastic job” in Caracas, he added.

But as former U.S. officials and Iran analysts have cautioned, finding someone from within the current governing apparatus in Iran to cooperate with the American administration is unlikely.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic is taking steps to decide on Khamenei's successor. The Assembly of Experts, the body of clerics tasked with choosing his replacement, has been deliberating on the decision. While the slain supreme leader's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has emerged as the front-runner, Trump bashed him as "incompetent" in his interview with POLITICO.

After weathering decades of resistance from both within and abroad, Iran’s remaining leaders say they will not capitulate easily to U.S. demands.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on social media earlier Friday that some countries had begun "mediation efforts" and that “we are committed to lasting peace in the region yet we have no hesitation in defending our nation's dignity & sovereignty.”

He continued: “Mediation should address those who underestimated the Iranian people and ignited this conflict.”