Not expecting Iran to cry uncle, Trump will determine when Iran has ‘unconditionally surrendered’ — White House

While US President Donald Trump is calling for Iran to “unconditionally surrender,” he does not expect Tehran to publicly make such an announcement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says.

“What the president means [by ‘unconditional surrender’] is that Iran’s threats will no longer be backed by a ballistic missile arsenal that protects them from building a nuclear bomb,” Leavitt explains during a press briefing. “President Trump will determine when Iran is in a place of unconditional surrender when they no longer pose a credible and direct threat to the United States of America and our allies.”

Pushed to explain what Trump has described as a “feeling” that led him to conclude Iran was going to preemptively attack the US before Washington and Jerusalem struck first, Leavitt asserts it was a “feeling based on facts.”

She points to the three rounds of nuclear talks held last month during which Iran “lied” to the US, while trying to maintain the ability to build a nuclear bomb — something Tehran has long denied. Leavitt also highlights Iran’s rapid increase in its missile program, claiming the effort was motivated by a desire to shield Iran’s nuclear program from attack.

Trump “was not going to sit back and allow the Iranian regime to threaten or to attack the United States of America any longer,” Leavitt adds.