U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday there would be no deal with Iran except “unconditional surrender,” a week after the United States joined Israel in launching military action against Tehran.
“After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction,” Trump said in a social media post, adding they would also work to boost Iran’s economy.
Trump told Reuters on Thursday that he wants to be involved in choosing Iran’s next leader.
As tensions escalate in the region, NATO’s chiefs of defense from its 32 member countries held a virtual meeting Friday to receive a briefing on the evolving situation in the Middle East, NATO Military Committee Chair Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone said in a post on X.
European Union leaders are also preparing diplomatic discussions on the crisis. European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will hold a video conference Monday with Middle Eastern leaders to discuss the situation, a spokesperson for Costa said.
The meeting will allow leaders to exchange assessments of the conflict and discuss additional support from the EU and its member states to countries in the region, as well as ways to end the fighting.
On Thursday, foreign ministers from the EU’s 27 member states held a video call with counterparts from the Gulf Cooperation Council to discuss Iran and the broader Middle East. Participants called for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the crisis while reiterating that Gulf countries have the right to defend themselves against Iran.