US president Donald Trump has warned that Iran’s “unconditional surrender” is the only way to end the US-Israeli war with the country, as the conflict entered its seventh day.
The US and Israel have battered Iran with strikes since last Saturday, targeting its military capabilities, leadership and nuclear programme. Israeli warplanes have pounded Tehran, and Israel says it has destroyed the underground bunker of slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated by launching another wave of attacks across Israel and the Gulf.
In a rant on Truth Social, President Trump demanded to have a role in choosing the next leader of Iran, as he affirmed: “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!
“After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”
More than 30 Iranian vessels have been destroyed since Operation Epic Fury began on Saturday, US Central Command (Centcom) has claimed, as US war secretary Pete Hegseth warned there would be a “dramatic surge” in attacks on Iran as US forces launch missions from British military bases.
“The amount of firepower over Iran and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically,” Mr Hegseth said. “When we say ‘more to come’, it’s more fighter squadrons, it’s more capabilities, it’s more defensive capabilities, and it’s more bomber pulses more frequently.”
The US had earlier criticised the UK for its reluctance to provide access to the bases, but Sir Keir Starmer relaxed his position following a wave of retaliatory strikes from Iran, having previously stated that the bases could be used for the “limited, specific defensive purpose” of protecting UK and US allies.
Deputy prime minister David Lammy signalled a dramatic hardening of the government’s position as he warned that RAF jets could legally strike Iranian missile sites to prevent attacks on British interests in theMiddle East.
A spokesperson for No 10 said the UK remained intent on defending its allies in the Middle East while allowing the US to strike targets in Iran.
“We have consistently said that we’ll take the necessary steps to prevent future strikes, which, as we’ve set out over the course of the week, is allowing the US to take out those missiles at source whilst we are defending the skies. And that is a consistent position that we have conveyed throughout the week.”
Meanwhile, Britons are braced for another cost of living crisis, as the price of oil continued to soar. The price of Brent crude rose on Friday to surpass $88 (£65) a barrel, its highest price since April 2024.
Greg Jackson, the chief executive of Octopus Energy, told Times Radio that the energy markets were “in a state of turmoil” as Iran holds control over the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway in the Persian Gulf through which around a fifth of the world’s oil passes.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned that it will set fire to any vessels attempting to pass through the strait, after claiming “complete control” of the major shipping route on Wednesday.
Efforts to help Britons trapped in the war zone are continuing. A government charter flight arrived in the UK early on Friday morning, the first to evacuate stranded citizens.
Passengers on the Titan Airways charter flight, which flew in from Muscat, Oman, told of sleeping in car parks in Dubai as they heard explosions at the beginning of the conflict.
A second government evacuation flight left Oman on Friday afternoon.
Source: independent.co.uk