NO WWIII

Deranged Trump Demands 'Unconditional Surrender' After Threatening to Kill Iran's Leader



"If new talks take place and Trump insists on capitulation, he will get war," warned one analyst. "Iran will pay an immeasurable price. As will the region. But the U.S. will also pay a very heavy price."


A man looks at a billboard featuring the portraits of Hassan Nasrallah, the slain former leader of Hezbollah, Iran's late president Ebrahim Raisi, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iran's slain commander Qasem Soleimani in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on June 17, 2025.
(Photo: Firdous Nazir/NurPhoto via Getty Images)


Jake Johnson
Jun 17, 2025
COMMON DREAMS

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday demanded "unconditional surrender" from the Iranian government after threatening to order the assassination of the country's leader, an escalation of rhetoric that observers said could signal imminent American intervention in the increasingly deadly conflict that Israel, without provocation, started last week.

Trump wrote on his social media platform that "we know exactly where" Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, "is hiding."

"He is an easy target, but is safe there," the U.S. president continued. "We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now."

Minutes later, Trump wrote in a separate post, in all caps, "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"

Trump's use of "we" in his latest messaging on the war indicates that the president sees the U.S.—Israel's top ally and arms supplier—as a party to the conflict, a departure from his insistence just days earlier that the U.S. was "not involved."

"Trump's Iran war may destroy his presidency as Bush's Iraq invasion destroyed his. Iran will lose. But so will the U.S."

Citing unnamed U.S. officials, Axiosreported Tuesday that Trump "is seriously considering joining the war and launching a U.S. strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, especially its underground uranium enrichment facility in Fordow."

The same outlet reported over the weekend that Israeli officials had been pressuring the Trump administration to wade into the conflict directly, claiming that Israel "lacks the bunker buster bombs and large bomber aircraft needed to destroy Iran's Fordow uranium enrichment site."

New polling indicates that a U.S. military attack on Iran would be deeply unpopular with American voters, including those who supported Trump in 2024.

Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, warned Tuesday that Trump now appears "determined to take the country to a war of choice."

"If new talks take place and Trump insists on capitulation, he will get war," Parsi wrote. "Iran will pay an immeasurable price. As will the region. But the U.S. will also pay a very heavy price. Scores of American soldiers may be killed. Oil prices will skyrocket, and gas prices in hot summer months in the U.S. will soar. Inflation will go up."

"Trump's Iran war may destroy his presidency as Bush's Iraq invasion destroyed his," Parsi added. "Iran will lose. But so will the U.S. Israel is perhaps the only country that will benefit from this war of choice."

'It’s biblical': House Republican defends his support for Israel

Image via Screengrab.

David Badash

THE NEW CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

June 18, 2025 |

A Republican congressman is defending his support for Israel—and for President Donald Trump to act against Iran—by calling the conflict a “biblical” battle.

“We’ve got the best friend we’ve got in Israel,” declared U.S. Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) on Fox Business Wednesday morning. “They’re doing a fantastic job. They’re controlling the airspace now. So we just need to see.

“Look, it’s biblical, okay?” Williams continued. “I’m one of those. It’s biblical. We support Israel. Israel is our friend. We need to be with them.”

Congressman Williams also criticized U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), who is among several House and Senate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle demanding President Donald Trump adhere to the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and obtain congressional approval before engaging in war against Iran.

“I would say to Senator Kaine, whose side are you on for crying out loud? I mean, ‘Death to Israel, Death to America.’ What more do we need to hear?””

RELATED: ‘Unconditional Surrender’: Trump’s Iran Posts Trigger Fears U.S. Is Entering the War

“And I think President Trump is right. He’s got us to a point where these guys need to take a hard look at theirselves and surrender, if they don’t surrender, it may be that we have to we have to end it,” Williams decreed.

Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo appeared to be on the side of those who want President Trump to enter the war against Iran.

“President Trump is demanding unconditional surrender from Iran and is reportedly considering U.S. military involvement should things escalate further,” she told viewers. “And yet, you’ve got colleagues in the House right now and in the Senate, like Tim Kaine, who are trying to limit President Trump’s powers and decision-making at the time of war.: Yeah, it’s unbelievable.”

Watch the video below or at this link.