Trump says only 'unconditional surrender' will end war on Iran
US President Donald Trump said only Iran's "unconditional surrender" would stop his assault on the country.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump says there would be "no deal" with the country otherwise.
"After that, and with the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), 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 economically bigger, better and stronger than ever before," he wrote.
A report by the US outlet Politico on Wednesday revealed that US Central Command has asked the Pentagon to deploy additional military intelligence officers to its headquarters in Tampa, Florida.
The reinforcements would support operations against Iran for at least 100 days and potentially until September.
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The request marks the first known move by the Trump administration to increase intelligence personnel for the war and signals that Washington is preparing for a far longer campaign than initially presented to the public.
While the US has been vague about its ultimate goal in Iran, Trump has repeatedly indicated he would like to have a hand in deciding the future of the country.
On Thursday, the president said he must be directly involved in choosing the new ruler of Iran, pointing to Venezuela as a model for how he wants to control the country of 92 million people.
In Venezuela, Trump left the machinations of Maduro's security state in place, including the military and intelligence agencies. But he has staked a claim to the country's oil, directly selling it on the market.
“Delcy Rodríguez, who is the President of Venezuela, is doing a great job, and working with US Representatives very well,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.
“The Oil is beginning to flow, and the professionalism and dedication between both Countries is a very nice thing to see!”
Analysts have speculated that Trump would like to reach a similar understanding in Iran, but have said that it's impossible to draw comparisons between Venezuela and the vast West Asian country, where the Islamic Republic has been in place since the 1979 overthrow of the US-backed shah.
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