US President Donald Trump has reportedly demanded that Iran "surrender," stating that he has heard the nation's new supreme leader is "not alive" while dismissing the possibility of an immediate ceasefire in the escalating Middle Eastern conflict.
In a telephone interview with a media outlet on Saturday, Trump said that despite Iran’s apparent interest in ending the hostilities, he remains unsatisfied with the current conditions.
"Iran wants to make a deal, and I don't want to make it because the terms aren't good enough yet," said Trump, adding that any future agreement must be "very solid."
It is learnt that if there’s a ceasefire, one of the specific requirements for a peace deal involves a total commitment from Tehran to completely abandon its nuclear ambitions.
The President cast significant doubt on the well-being of Mojtaba Khamenei, who recently assumed the role of supreme leader following the death of his father. Remarking on Khamenei's absence from public view, he stated, "I don't know if he's even alive. So far, nobody's been able to show him."
While acknowledging the reports of the leader's death were currently "a rumour," Trump added, "I'm hearing he's not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that's surrender."
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth echoed these sentiments on Friday, suggesting that the younger Khamenei was "wounded and likely disfigured" following recent military strikes. Hegseth characterised a recent written statement from the leader as "a weak one," claiming that the Iranian head of state is "scared," "injured," and "lacks legitimacy."
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