Donald Trump demanded “unconditional surrender” Tuesday in a series of escalating threats on Iran.
“We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn’t compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured ‘stuff.’ Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA.”
The Israeli military had previously announced Monday that its strikes had crippled Iran’s air defenses, allowing Israel to drop bombs directly over Tehran instead of using long range missiles. Trump’s ominous post—which worryingly conflates Israeli forces with American—comes as a reminder that to the United States, war is first and foremost a business enterprise, which could explain his decision to completely ignore intelligence from his own government that determined Iran was not close to obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Trump then decided to up the ante by threatening Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei directly.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” Trump wrote in another post on Truth Social. “He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Three U.S. officials told CBS News Sunday that Trump opposed taking out Khamenei. Recent reports from Israeli sources, however, have said that Trump has only been pretending to oppose Israel’s military operation in Iran and helped to coordinate Israeli movements behind closed doors.
So, while the president’s hemming and hawing is certainly a power trip, it’s possible he is also attempting to obscure his support for Israel’s military action, which is unpopular with voters.
“UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” Trump counseled in a third post.
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