In a national address Saturday night, US President Donald Trump warned that Iran “must now make peace” – or face additional attacks on more targets that “will be far greater and a lot easier.”
But it’s not clear what exactly he means by “make peace,” or what steps Iran would have to take to meet that demand.
Trump did not elaborate on his statement, though he warned on social media afterward that any Iranian retaliation would be met with force. Iran fired a new wave of missiles at Israel on Sunday morning.
What has he said before? At first, Trump had been eager to craft a nuclear deal – something he had been pushing for weeks before Israel’s initial attack on Iran. He continued to stress the idea even after Israel struck, claiming Iran wanted to make a deal.
But as the strikes continued, his tone began to change. On Tuesday, he said he wanted “an end, a real end, not a ceasefire. An end. Or giving up entirely. That’s OK, too.”
Later Tuesday, he took an even stronger stance, posting two words on Truth Social in all caps: “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.”
After warming to the idea of the US military getting involved, Trump announced a self-imposed two-week deadline on Thursday to decide whether or not to strike Iran.
He justified his pause by stating the need to give diplomacy one last try, saying he would make his decision based on the “substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future.”
On Saturday evening Eastern Time, the US struck Iran, targeting three key nuclear sites and officially entering US forces into another conflict in the Middle East.
It’s not clear what version of “peace” Trump now means this time: a nuclear deal; further negotiations with Tehran; or a full “unconditional surrender.”