White House explains what Trump means by Iran’s “unconditional surrender”

The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has outlined an interpretation of what “unconditional surrender” by Iran would entail, saying the final determination will be made personally by US President Donald Trump, Caliber.Az cites a US news outlet.

Trump has repeatedly demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” as a condition for any potential agreement with Tehran.

Leavitt said the phrase does not necessarily mean that Iran’s leadership would publicly declare capitulation. Instead, she explained, it refers to a situation in which Iran’s threats are no longer backed by a ballistic missile arsenal.

“When President Trump says that Iran is in a place of unconditional surrender, he’s not claiming the Iranian regime is going to come out and say that themselves. What the president means is that Iran’s threats will no longer be backed by a ballistic missile arsenal that protects them from building a nuclear bomb in their country,” Leavitt said on March 10.

Leavitt added that President Trump would ultimately decide when Iran can be considered to have unconditionally surrendered and no longer poses what the administration describes as a “credible and direct threat” to the United States and its allies.

By Khagan Isayev