Leavitt Explains Trump’s Iran ‘Unconditional Surrender’ Demand
Karoline Leavitt praised President Donald Trump’s military actions against Iran, describing the administration’s efforts as “a resounding success” following what officials said were threats to U.S. security amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
Leavitt made the remarks as the United States continues operations under Operation Epic Fury, a campaign aimed at Iranian missile facilities, nuclear program, and leadership.
“Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, the rogue Iranian terrorist regime is being absolutely crushed,” Leavitt said during a news briefing on Wednesday afternoon, adding that more than 2,000 targets have been hit so far. “Iran’s murderous, terrorist leaders are paying for their crimes against America — and they are paying in blood.”
Leavitt also said that Trump is “correcting decades of cowardice” regarding U.S. foreign policy towards Iran, adding that the current commander-in-chief is committed to eliminating the threat once and for all.
“President Trump is finally the man of action. President Trump does not bluff,” she said.
In a lengthy X post, Leavitt also laid out Trump’s objectives anew:
Destroy the Iranian regime’s missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. Annihilate the Iranian regime’s Navy. Ensure the regime’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces.
Stop them from making and using IEDs or roadside bombs, which have gravely wounded and killed thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans. Guarantee that Iran can NEVER obtain a nuclear weapon. Preventing this radical regime and its terrorist leaders from threatening America and our core national security interests is a clear-eyed and necessary objective.
Killing terrorists is good for America. 49 of the most senior Iranian regime leaders – including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – have already been wiped off the face of the Earth so far in the opening strikes of Operation Epic Fury. Finally, while Operation Midnight Hammer did obliterate Iran’s major nuclear sites, the regime was fully committed to rebuilding their nuclear program, and they REFUSED to make a deal, despite months of extensive talks and good faith efforts by President Trump’s top negotiators.
Simply put, the terrorist Iranian regime would not say yes to peace.
For 47 years, the Iranian regime has actively and intentionally facilitated the killing of Americans while chanting “death to America” and funding other bloodthirsty terrorists seeking to destroy the United States and all of Western Civilization. Prior American leaders were too weak and cowardly to do anything about it. Now, President Donald J. Trump is correcting decades of cowardice and holding those responsible for the deaths of Americans accountable.
Their brutal attacks and threats will finally end under President Trump. America will win – the terrorists will be defeated.
Asked what Trump meant by accepting only “unconditional surrender,” Leavitt said Friday that will be achieved when the president “determines that Iran no longer poses a threat to the United States of America” and the mission’s goals have “been fully realized.”
“Then Iran will essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender,” she told reporters outside the White House “whether they say it themselves or not. Frankly they don’t have a lot of people to say that for them.”
Leavitt also stated she had no information regarding the Pentagon’s investigation into whether the U.S. military had targeted an Iranian girls’ school.
“Again, as I said at the briefing two days ago, I don’t have any updates with respect to the investigation. I would expect those to come from the Pentagon,” she said.
Trump hinted late last week that a small ground force could be sent to Isfahan to retrieve roughly 970 pounds of uranium, which is enriched to about 60 percent – less than the 90 percent needed to become weapons-grade.
“We wouldn’t do it now,” Trump said aboard Air Force One.
Asked what Trump meant by accepting only “unconditional surrender,” Leavitt said Friday that will be achieved when the president “determines that Iran no longer poses a threat to the United States of America” and the mission’s goals have “been fully realized.”
“Then Iran will essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender,” she told reporters outside the White House “whether they say it themselves or not. Frankly they don’t have a lot of people to say that for them.”
Leavitt also stated she had no information regarding the Pentagon’s investigation into whether the U.S. military had targeted an Iranian girls’ school.
“Again, as I said at the briefing two days ago, I don’t have any updates with respect to the investigation. I would expect those to come from the Pentagon,” she said.
Trump hinted late last week that a small ground force could be sent to Isfahan to retrieve roughly 970 pounds of uranium, which is enriched to about 60 percent – less than the 90 percent needed to become weapons-grade.
“We wouldn’t do it now,” Trump said aboard Air Force One.
Obama Accuses JD Vance Of Promoting ‘Blood And Soil’ Politics
Former President Barack Obama rarely mentions Vice President JD Vance by name, but that changed this week with one of his sharpest public attacks since Vance took office.
The comments immediately fueled speculation that Democrats are beginning to focus more attention on the vice president as Republicans look ahead to the post-Trump era.
Speaking Thursday during a conversation with author Malcolm Gladwell, Obama accused Vance of promoting what he described as a “blood and soil” vision of America, despite being married to Usha Vance, the daughter of Indian immigrants.
Obama made the remarks while discussing the Reconstruction era and arguing that many of the same debates over citizenship, voting rights and national identity continue today.
“We have a politics now that at least one of our major parties has been captured by politics that is not that subtle about suggesting that ‘We the people’ means a certain kind of people,” Obama said.
“When you have the vice president, current vice president, making a speech that is basically a blood and soil version of ‘We the people,’ that it matters who your parents were and how long they’ve been here despite him being married to a daughter of an immigrant himself.”
The phrase “blood and soil” is historically associated with Nazi Germany and white nationalist ideology.
Obama went on to argue that debates over who belongs in America remain central to the nation’s politics.
“That echoes, then, ideas about who can be a citizen, who belongs, who gets to make decisions,” he said.
Gladwell followed by accusing Vance of hypocrisy, arguing that the vice president was making what he called a nativist argument despite his own family’s immigrant background.
Obama agreed.
“That is progress,” Obama said.
“Listen, hypocrisy is progress. It is, because it means that you feel guilty enough to either lie to yourself or others.”
Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to Vance’s office for comment.
Obama did not identify the specific speech he was criticizing, but Vance’s most recent nationally televised remarks came during Independence Day celebrations marking America’s 250th birthday.
In that speech, Vance encouraged Americans to reject what he called a “two-dimensional view” of the country focused only on its historical failures.
“So what I’d ask you to do, my fellow Americans, on our 250th birthday, is to reject the two-dimensional view of your fellow citizens and reject the two-dimensional view of your country,” Vance said.
“Reject the view of your nation that sees only its sins, but not its grace and its greatness.”
He also emphasized that America’s accomplishments were achieved by “a common people working towards a common future.”
Obama has generally avoided making Vance a regular target since the vice president took office.
One notable exception came during the 2024 presidential campaign when then-Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
Without naming Vance directly, Obama contrasted Harris’ choice with the Republican ticket.
“When a presidential candidate chooses a running mate, it says a lot about who they are and what kind of president they’ll be,” Obama said at the time, Fox News reported.
Political observers have increasingly discussed Vance as a potential frontrunner for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, though he has not announced any plans to run.
Against that backdrop, Obama’s unusually direct criticism is likely to fuel speculation that some Democrats are beginning to sharpen their message against a politician they view as a likely future standard-bearer for the Republican Party. While no Democratic leaders have publicly described their strategy in those terms, prominent figures often begin drawing contrasts with potential future rivals well before a presidential campaign officially begins.
Whether that proves to be the case remains to be seen, but Obama’s remarks marked one of his most pointed critiques of Vance to date and ensured the vice president once again found himself at the center of the national political conversation.
