Trump demands Iran 'unconditional surrender': US intelligence officials say Tehran has not developed nuclear weapons

President Donald Trump said on June 17 that the United States knows where Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding during the conflict between Israel and Iran, but does not yet want to kill him, writes Associated Press.

Photo: Dmitry Shirinkin | Dreamstime.com

The United States knows where Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding, but has no plans to eliminate him, US President Donald Trump said on June 17. On social media, Trump called for Iran's "unconditional surrender" as the five-day conflict escalated.

"We know exactly where the so-called Supreme Leader is hiding," the White House chief wrote. "He is an easy target, but he is safe - we are not going to eliminate him (kill him!), at least not yet. But we do not want missiles fired at civilians or American soldiers. Our patience is running out."

On the subject: Trump cancels G7 summit due to Middle East tensions

The tough talk followed Trump’s call for 9,5 million people in Tehran to flee. The US president decided to cut short his participation in the G7 summit in the Canadian Rockies to return to Washington for urgent consultations with his national security team. Asked about his evacuation announcement, Trump told reporters: “I just want people to be safe.”

Earlier in the day, the 47th president took to social media to claim full U.S. control over Tehran's airspace. Meanwhile, Israel, which has inflicted heavy damage on Iran with five days of missile strikes, believes that now is the right time to strike a final blow against Tehran's nuclear program, especially with the support of the U.S. president.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "Israeli bombing will not stop until Iran's nuclear program and ballistic missiles are destroyed."

But Trump rejected Israel's proposed option to eliminate Khamenei in the early days of the conflict, according to a U.S. official familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity. Israeli officials informed the U.S. administration that they had a viable plan to eliminate him. But the White House responded that Trump opposed such a move because he feared escalating the conflict and destabilizing the region.

The Israeli military says its offensive has destroyed Iran’s air defenses, allowing it to attack targets across the country without restrictions. But the deep-underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordow has not yet been destroyed. To do so, Israel would need a 140-kilogram GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, which Israel does not have and can only be delivered by an American B-2 bomber. Providing such support or direct involvement by the American military carries serious political risks for Trump.

On his way from Canada to Washington, Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that Iranian leaders did not reach an agreement.

"They had to make a deal. I told them that," he told reporters aboard Air Force One. "So I don't know, I'm not really in the mood to negotiate right now."

However, he clarified that he does not rule out a diplomatic solution to the issue and may send Vice President J.D. Vance and Special Representative Steve Witkoff to negotiate with the Iranians.

Iran insists its nuclear program is purely peaceful. But Trump has rejected U.S. intelligence assessments, including a statement from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who told Congress in March: “The intelligence community continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized a resumption of the nuclear program he suspended in 2003.”

Gabbard noted that "the country's stockpile of enriched uranium is at a record high and is unprecedented for a non-nuclear weapons state."

Trump, commenting on her words, said: "I don't care what she said. I think they were very close to getting it."

Gabbard, meanwhile, accused the media of distorting her words. In an interview with CNN, she assured: "We are on the same page. President Trump said the same thing that I said."

Administration officials have downplayed the differences, noting that enriching uranium could put Iran on the path to developing nuclear weapons. A senior intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Iran's enrichment levels far exceed those needed for peaceful purposes, and another administration official said Iran is "as close to having a nuclear weapon as you can get without having one."

Gen. Eric Kurilla, the top U.S. military official in the Middle East, told Congress that Iran could produce enough nuclear material for 10 warheads in three weeks, but did not say how long it would take to build a full-size bomb. The head of the IAEA has repeatedly warned that Iran has enough enriched uranium to build multiple nuclear warheads, even though the country continues to insist its program is peaceful.

Trump, back at the White House, held a meeting in the Situation Room with advisers including Gabbard, gradually building public support for greater U.S. involvement in the conflict. His rhetoric coincided with the deployment of U.S. ships and aircraft to the region. The State Department has created a task force to help Americans leave Israel and other Middle Eastern countries, though no evacuation is planned yet. There are about 700 Americans in Israel, many of them dual citizens, and thousands more in other countries in the region, including Iran.

A rift has emerged within the Trump camp. Some, including conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, believe that increased U.S. engagement runs counter to Trump’s promises to avoid costly wars.

“Someone please explain to the wacky Tucker Carlson that IRAN CANNOT HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS!” Trump wrote on social media. Other doubters include Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, former adviser Steve Bannon, and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. They point out that voters backed Trump for his anti-war stance. House members Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna have introduced a resolution calling on Trump to “cease” the use of military force against Iran without a formal declaration of war by Congress.

At the same time, Senator Lindsey Graham is urging Trump to "act decisively" by supporting Israel and destroying Iran's nuclear program.

Vice President Vance, responding to the social media comments, said on Platform X: “Iran cannot have enriched uranium.” He said Trump “has repeatedly said it can happen the easy way or the other way.”

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Trump’s denial of the intelligence assessments, including Gabbard’s, echoes his clashes with the intelligence community during his first term, when he accused them of being part of the “deep state.” Most notably, he stood next to Vladimir Putin in 2018 and said he trusted the Russian president’s assurances that he had not interfered in the 2016 election. Gabbard, a former Democrat who left the party in 2022 to endorse Trump, was confirmed as director of national intelligence by the narrowest of margins in the Senate because of her lack of intelligence experience.

Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said: "Director Gabbard said publicly in March that the Iranians were not building a bomb. I have not seen any new intelligence that contradicts Director Gabbard's statements."

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