Smoke rises after an Israeli attack in the southern suburbs of Beirut, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel. Photo: Reuters
BEIRUT/WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM:
US President Donald Trump on Friday demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender”, a dramatic escalation of his demands a week after the war it launched with Israel, which could make it more difficult to negotiate a quick end to hostilities.
Trump made the comments on social media just hours after Iran’s president announced that unspecified countries had begun mediation efforts, one of the first signs of any diplomatic effort to end the conflict.
“There will be no agreement with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL RESIGNATION!” Trump wrote. “After that, and the selection of a GREAT AND ACCEPTABLE Leader, we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better and stronger than ever before.”
The demand for surrender, and the likelihood that this would complicate any quick path to ending a conflict that has disrupted global energy supplies, caused an immediate shock in financial markets.
European stock markets, open at the time of Trump’s message, suffered a sudden collapse. Wall Street opened sharply lower shortly after.
On Thursday, Trump had told Reuters in a telephone interview that he was demanding the right to help select Iran’s new supreme leader, to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed on the first day of the war.
Beirut
On the ground, Israel carried out a major expansion of the war in Lebanon, attacking the capital Beirut on Friday after ordering an unprecedented evacuation of all of the city’s southern suburbs.
It said it had carried out an attack in Beirut against a command center used by the naval unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, along with attacks on command centers it said were used by Hezbollah.
There was no immediate comment from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard or Hezbollah. It also launched a new wave of strikes against Iran, saying 50 of its fighter jets had hit a bunker still used by the Iranian leadership beneath Khamenei’s destroyed compound in Tehran.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X: “Some countries have initiated mediation efforts.” It did not identify the countries or provide further details. “Let us be clear: we are committed to lasting peace in the region, but we do not hesitate to defend the dignity and authority of our country,” he added.
Israel has extended its bombings to Lebanon to eradicate Hezbollah. Hezbollah fired on Israel this week to avenge Khamenei’s death.
Israel has intervened in Lebanon repeatedly for decades, most recently in 2024. But the ferocity of Friday’s attacks had little precedent. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, some 300,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon in the last four days.
Inside Israel, explosions could be heard as Israeli defenses activated to shoot down incoming Iranian fire. The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia reported new drone and missile attacks. The Israeli military says it destroyed 80% of Iran’s air defense systems in the first week of the campaign and disabled more than 60% of its missile launchers.
Russia is providing Iran with locations of American warships and aircraft in the Middle East after Iran’s ability to locate American forces was degraded, the Washington Post reported, citing three officials familiar with the intelligence.
Russian missions in the United States did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.
