Trump tells G7 Iran “about to surrender” as Tehran vows to keep fighting

In a virtual meeting with G7 leaders, US President Donald Trump told allies that Iran is “about to surrender,” said officials from G7 countries, Axios reports.

Twenty-four hours later, Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first public statement vowing to continue fighting and opening new fronts against what he called the enemy.

Trump reportedly boasted about the results of Operation Epic Fury during the call, saying, “I got rid of a cancer that was threatening us all.” He also claimed there were no officials left in Tehran with the power to surrender. “Nobody knows who is the leader, so there is no one that can announce surrender,” he said. The former president has previously criticized Khamenei, calling him a “lightweight” and dismissing the prospect of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son as “unacceptable” to the US.

Mojtaba Khamenei, in a message broadcast on state television on March 12, promised to avenge Iranian “martyrs” and continue threatening the Strait of Hormuz, where attacks on tankers have pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel and stoked fears of a global economic crisis.

G7 leaders reportedly expressed concern over the war’s economic fallout and urged Trump to end the conflict quickly, stressing the importance of securing the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said the situation there was improving and that commercial shipping could resume, though at least two tankers were set ablaze off Iraq’s coast that night.

The call exposed differing views on Trump’s intentions. Some officials believed he aimed to wind down the war, while others felt the opposite. He emphasized the importance of timing, stating, “we need to finish the job” to avoid another conflict with Iran in five years.

The discussion also touched on energy markets, with European leaders cautioning against giving Russia a financial advantage. Despite their objections, the US Treasury issued a one-month waiver on sanctions for Russian oil already in transit, stressing it would not significantly benefit Moscow.

By Vafa Guliyeva