Trump Says There Will Be No Deal With Iran Except 'Unconditional Surrender'

President Donald Trump said the U.S. will not make a deal to stop the military strikes on Iran unless the country agrees to “unconditional surrender.” “After that, and the selection of a great acceptable leader, we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before,” Trump said Friday morning. He signed off his Truth Social message by saying “Iran will have a great future” and repeating his often-used “Make Iran Great Again” alternative slogan. Trump’s comments came hours after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said “some countries” have initiated mediation efforts to end the rapidly-escalating war. “Let’s be clear: we are committed to lasting peace in the region yet we have no hesitation in defending our nation’s dignity and sovereignty. Mediation should address those who underestimated the Iranian people and ignited this conflict,” he said. But Trump’s demand for a surrender suggests an end to the conflict may prove difficult to negotiate. Iran has already put forth a defiant response to Trump’s refusal to rule out putting troops on the ground in Iran—an escalation he says he’d be open to, “if necessary.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday insisted his country is ready for a potential ground invasion by American troops. “We are waiting for them,” he said. “Because we are confident that we can confront them, and that would be a big disaster for them.” Araghchi, speaking prior to Pezeshkian, also refused to entertain cease-fire negotiations. “We didn’t ask for a cease-fire even last time. In previous time[s], it was Israel who asked for a cease-fire. They asked for an unconditional cease-fire after 12 days that we resisted against their aggression,” he said, referencing the 12-day conflict last June, which saw the U.S. and Israel join forces to target three key Iranian nuclear facilities. Since the U.S. and Israel initiated strikes on Iran over the weekend, resulting in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other senior figures, the country has retaliated by targeting several Gulf nations, international oil tankers and facilities, and military airbases. Six American service members in the region have been killed by Iranian retaliatory strikes so far. Trump has referred to the fallen troops as “true American patriots” In a phone interview with TIME on Wednesday, Trump, when asked if Americans should be worried about retaliatory attacks at home, said: “I guess. But I think they’re worried about that all the time. We think about it all the time. We plan for it.” Echoing comments he made previously, the President continued: “Yeah, you know, we expect some things. Like I said, some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die.” Trump also said he intends to play a role in shaping the next government in Iran and who leads, insisting it must be a choice that is agreeable to the U.S. “One of the things I’m going to be asking for is the ability to work with them on choosing a new leader,” he said. “I’m not going through this to end up with another Khamenei. I want to be involved in the selection. They can select, but we have to make sure it’s somebody that’s reasonable to the United States.”