Regional Powers Prepare for a Possible Wider Mideast War

Donald Trump called for the “unconditional surrender” of Iran five days after Israel’s surprise attack triggered a new war in the Middle East, one which has so far killed hundreds of Iranians and dozens of Israelis, according to government officials. Trump also alluded to the possible assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In a social media post, the 79-year-old Republican said he didn’t want the Iranian leader killed “for now.” (In his first term, Trump ordered the targeted killing of a top Iranian general.) Trump’s all-caps call for the country to surrender followed.

The US president’s early departure from the G7 meeting in Canada yesterday spurred questions about whether he seeks to end the conflict or escalate it. Today, Trump called a meeting of his security advisers and has declared Iran cannot have a nuclear weapons program. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who’s been attending the G7 summit, told the country’s public broadcaster ZDF that a US decision on whether to join the war militarily would come “in the course of the day” and said that if Iran doesn’t return to the negotiating table, then “the complete destruction of Iran’s nuclear program may be on the agenda.” (Trump discarded a previous Iranian nuclear accord reached by President Barack Obama.)