President Donald Trump escalated tensions with Iran on Tuesday, demanding "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!" from Tehran and warning that the U.S. knows the precise location of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whom he described as "an easy target." Trump added on social media, "We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now."
The warning comes amid intensifying hostilities between Israel and Iran, now entering their fifth day, and growing signs of deeper U.S. involvement in the conflict. "We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran," Trump said in a post, suggesting for the first time that U.S. military assets may be directly engaged.
Trump made the remarks shortly before convening his national security team in the White House Situation Room after cutting short his trip to the G7 summit in Canada. During the flight back to Washington, Trump told reporters, "They should have done the deal. I told them, 'Do the deal.' So I don't know. I'm not too much in the mood to negotiate."
The president's threat against Khamenei follows a reported Israeli proposal to eliminate the Iranian leader, which U.S. officials rejected over concerns of regional destabilization, according to an administration official familiar with the matter.
The Israeli military campaign has already damaged several Iranian nuclear facilities, but key sites such as the Fordo uranium enrichment complex remain intact. Israeli officials have requested access to U.S. munitions such as the 30,000-pound GBU-57 "bunker buster" bomb to penetrate deep underground targets-an ask that has not yet been publicly granted.
Some 700,000 Americans, many with dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship, remain in the region. The State Department has formed a task force to assist with voluntary departures, though no formal evacuations are currently planned.
Trump's shifting posture has divided allies within his own political base. While Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has urged Trump to "go all-in" on backing Israel's efforts to dismantle Iran's nuclear infrastructure, others have sounded alarms. "The ongoing war between Israel and Iran is not our war," said Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.), who introduced a House resolution Tuesday to prohibit unauthorized military action against Iran.
The measure was co-sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.), and a similar resolution is being advanced in the Senate by Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.). Trump previously vetoed a 2020 war powers resolution concerning Iran, and Congress failed to override it.
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and other influential conservative voices have also criticized Trump's approach, arguing it risks betraying the non-interventionist ethos that helped propel him to office. Trump responded on social media, "Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that, 'IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!'"
Trump has floated the possibility of deploying Vice President JD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff for diplomacy but said, "I don't know. I'm not too much in a mood to negotiate." Vance, for his part, said on X that the president has "shown restraint" but warned that he "may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment."
The Pentagon has repositioned aircraft and warships throughout the region in recent days as Israel presses its assault and Iran retaliates with missile strikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the campaign until Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs are eliminated.
Despite U.S. intelligence assessments that Iran is not currently developing a nuclear weapon, Trump dismissed findings by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. "I don't care what she said," Trump stated. "I think they were very close to having it." Gabbard later blamed the media for misrepresenting her testimony, claiming Trump's stance was consistent with her own.
