Trump Tells G7 Allies That Iran is ‘About To Surrender’ – Hours Before New Leader Vowed to Avenge ‘Martyrs’

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
President Donald Trump told fellow G7 leaders that Iran was “about to surrender” during a private virtual meeting this week, according to officials briefed on the call, hours before Tehran publicly vowed to intensify the conflict.
Three officials from G7 countries told Axios the president made the claim during Wednesday’s call while discussing the impact of U.S. military operations.
Trump reportedly praised the results of Operation Epic Fury and told leaders: “I got rid of a cancer that was threatening us all.”
At the same time, he acknowledged uncertainty about Iran’s leadership following recent strikes, telling allies: “Nobody knows who is the leader, so there is no one that can announce surrender.”
The remarks came as G7 leaders raised alarm over the widening economic consequences of the conflict, particularly as the regime threatened the vital global shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices surging.
Officials said several G7 leaders pressed Trump to end the war quickly and secure the strait’s shipping lanes.
Trump told allies the situation in Hormuz was improving and suggested commercial vessels should resume operations in the area, according to an official briefed on the conversation. That same night, at least two tankers were set ablaze off the coast of Iraq.
Sources explained to Axios that Trump was “ambiguous and noncommittal” about his timeline or objectives but insisted that “we need to finish the job.”
Hours after the call, Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first public message since taking power, vowing to avenge Iranian “martyrs” and open new fronts in the war “where the enemy has little experience and is highly vulnerable.”
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