Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel. Photo: Reuters
BEIRUT/WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM:
US President Donald Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” on Friday, a dramatic escalation of his demands a week into the war he launched alongside Israel, which could make it more difficult to negotiate a swift end to hostilities.
Trump made the remarks on social media just hours after Iran’s president announced that unspecified countries had begun mediation efforts, one of the first signals of any diplomatic initiative to end the conflict.
“There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” Trump wrote. “After that, and 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 it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”
The surrender demand, and the likelihood that this would complicate any quick path to ending a conflict that has interrupted global energy supplies, caused immediate shock in financial markets.
European share markets, open at the time of Trump’s post, suffered a sudden swoon. Wall Street opened sharply lower soon 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 in the war’s first day.
Beirut
On the ground, Israel pursued a major expansion of the war in Lebanon, pounding the capital Beirut on Friday after ordering an unprecedented evacuation of the entire southern suburbs of the city.
It said it had carried out a strike in Beirut targeting a command centre used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s navy unit, along with strikes on command centres that 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 attacks on Iran, saying 50 of its warplanes had struck a bunker still being used by Iran’s leadership beneath Khamenei’s destroyed Tehran compound.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X: “Some countries have begun mediation efforts.” He did not identify the countries or provide further details. “Let’s be clear: we are committed to lasting peace in the region, but we have not the slightest hesitation in defending the dignity and authority of our country,” he added.
Israel has extended its bombing to Lebanon to root out Hezbollah. Hezbollah fired on Israel this week to avenge the death of Khamenei.
Israel has intervened in Lebanon repeatedly over decades, most recently in 2024. But the ferocity of Friday’s strikes had little precedent. About 300,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon in the past four days, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Inside Israel, explosions could be heard as Israeli defences activated to shoot down incoming Iranian fire. The UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia all reported fresh drone and missile attacks. The Israeli military says it has destroyed 80% of Iran’s air-defence systems in the first week of the campaign and disabled more than 60% of its missile launchers.
Russia is providing Iran with locations of US warships and aircraft in the Middle East after Iran’s ability to locate US forces was degraded, the Washington Post reported, citing three officials familiar with the intelligence.
Russian missions in the US did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.
