President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States will not kill Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “for now,” while appearing to demand Tehran’s surrender amidst an ongoing exchange of missile bombardments between Iran and Israel.
The latest remarks from the U.S. leader have triggered concerns over the U.S. joining Israel in its ongoing aggression after earlier insisting it had no role in the offensive. They also contradict earlier reports suggesting Trump had told Israel to halt plans to assassinate Khamenei. In the post on his TruthSocial platform, Trump claimed the U.S. now has “complete and total control of the skies over Iran.” He concluded his post by writing: “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
The conflict, which is now entering its sixth day, has seen missiles fall on Tel Aviv and Tehran, with Israel claiming it had killed senior Iranian commander Ali Shadmani in an overnight strike. Just four days earlier, his predecessor Gholam Ali Rashid was killed in Israel’s initial surprise attack.
Iran is continuing its retaliatory strikes, with several missiles having evaded the ‘Iron Dome’ air defense system and striking the heart of Tel Aviv and surrounding regions. The IRGC last night claimed hitting a “major center” of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency in Tel Aviv, Tasnim reported.
Thus far, at least 224 people have been killed since Israel began bombing Iran on Friday, according to Iranian state media. Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed at least 24 people in Israel.
Residential areas in both countries have suffered deadly strikes since the fighting broke out, and foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens. Many residents have also fled Tehran, especially after a post by Trump warned them to leave, raising fears the U.S. was planning to support Israel in aerial strikes.
Amidst the heightened tensions, Pakistan has also decided to evacuate the families of its diplomats and other non-essential staff stationed in Iran. In a statement, an official of the Foreign Office said the families are being relocated as a precautionary measure, while certain members of non-essential diplomatic personnel are also being recalled.
However, the Pakistani Embassy in Tehran and its consulates in the country will continue to operate normally, the official clarified, adding that Pakistan’s diplomatic missions in Iran remain fully functional. According to immigration officials, around 714 Pakistanis have returned to Pakistan from Iran via buses through the Taftan border. This includes citizens, traders, and drivers.
The Balochistan government has closed all border crossings apart from Taftan indefinitely, citing regional instability and security concerns following recent escalations in the Middle East. The Ministry of Interior has further advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Iran due to the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. In addition, airspace between the two countries remains suspended.
U.S. role
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the U.S. was deploying “additional capabilities” to the Middle East, with a U.S. aircraft carrier reportedly heading to the region.Even before Trump’s remarks about Khamenei, China had accused him of “pouring oil” on the conflict.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu of being “the biggest threat to the security of the region.”
The U.S. president yesterday met his National Security Council to discuss the conflict, according to the White House. At the same time, a lawmaker of Trump’s Republican Party has said he introduced an Iran War Powers Resolution with fellow lawmaker Ro Khanna to prohibit U.S. involvement in the conflict.
“This is not our war. Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our constitution,” he said. Democratic Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Greg Casar were among several lawmakers who voiced their support for the resolution. The resolution has public support, with 60% of those surveyed saying they did not support U.S. involvement in the hostilities, according to Newsmax.
Israel launched its air war, its largest ever on Iran, on Friday after saying it concluded Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has pointed to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm this.