U.S. President Donald Trump said he is not interested in negotiating with Iran and suggested the conflict could end only if Iran’s military is destroyed or its leadership is eliminated.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump indicated that ongoing airstrikes could make negotiations irrelevant if Iran no longer has leaders capable of surrendering.
“At some point, there may be nobody left to say, ‘We surrender,’” Trump said.
The remarks came as the war between the United States, Israel and Iran entered its second week, with Israel launching new strikes across Iran on Sunday. The conflict has spread across the region, including drone attacks in several Gulf countries and rising tensions throughout the Middle East.
Trump has defended the military campaign by claiming Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States and was nearing the ability to develop a nuclear weapon, though he has not provided specific evidence.
According to a report by Axios, U.S. and Israeli officials have discussed the possibility of sending special forces into Iran later in the conflict to secure its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The White House has not commented on the report.
Meanwhile, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to neighboring countries affected by Iranian attacks on U.S. military facilities in the region, in an effort to ease tensions across the Gulf.
“I personally apologize to neighboring countries that were affected by Iran’s actions,” Pezeshkian said, urging them not to join the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran.
He rejected Trump’s demand for Iran’s unconditional surrender as unrealistic but said Iran’s temporary leadership council had agreed to suspend attacks on nearby countries unless strikes against Iran were launched from their territory.
His remarks sparked criticism from hardline figures within Iran, prompting officials to reaffirm that the country would respond strongly to attacks from U.S. bases in the region.
Saudi Arabia has reportedly warned Tehran that continued attacks on its territory or energy infrastructure could trigger retaliation. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates all reported Iranian drone attacks over the weekend, while Iranian state media said the Revolutionary Guards also targeted U.S. forces at a base in Bahrain.
Elsewhere, an explosion damaged the U.S. embassy in Oslo, Norway, early Sunday, though authorities reported no injuries and the cause of the blast remains unclear.
The conflict has caused heavy casualties. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said at least 1,332 Iranian civilians have been killed and thousands wounded in U.S. and Israeli attacks. Iranian strikes have killed 10 people in Israel, while at least six U.S. service members have died in the fighting.
In Lebanon, Israel intensified attacks on the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia after cross-border rocket fire. Israeli airstrikes hit Hezbollah-controlled areas in Beirut and other locations, with the death toll in Lebanon reportedly rising to around 300 since Monday.
The widening conflict has also disrupted global energy markets. Fighting has effectively shut down shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing oil prices to multi-year highs. Kuwait’s national oil company has begun cutting output, adding to earlier production reductions in Iraq and Qatar.