President Donald Trump on board Air Force One (Mark Schiefelbein - AP)
President Donald Trump escalated U.S. rhetoric against Iran on Tuesday, issuing an online statement that the Islamic Republic must offer “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” or face consequences “far beyond sanctions.” The declaration followed five days of Israeli-Iranian missile exchanges that have left at least 450 people dead in Iran and 24 in Israel. Trump, who cut short his participation at the G-7 summit in Canada to return to Washington, said his early departure aimed at securing “a real end, not a cease-fire,” repeating that the United States will not tolerate Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon. He added that U.S. intelligence “knows exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding” but that killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was “not for now,” signaling both pressure and restraint.