Israel launches missiles and drones at Iran, while Donald Trump posts his threats on the social media platform Truth. The US president rushed out of the G-7 summit in Canada on Monday amid rising tensions in the Middle East and has decided to increase the pressure on Tehran. On one hand, Trump wrote on Truth that he knows where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is and that he is"an easy target." On the other hand, the Pentagon is deploying more fighter jets to the Middle East, according to Reuters. Trump's message to Iran is clear:"UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER," he wrote in capital letters on his social media platform.

Trump has indicated that he knows where Iran's supreme leader is. US media reported that the United States demanded that Israel not kill Khamenei at the start of the conflict, but is now issuing a not-so-veiled threat."We know exactly where the so-called 'supreme leader' is hiding. He's an easy target, but he's safe there. We will not eliminate (kill!) him, at least not yet. But we do not want missiles launched at American civilians or troops. Our patience is wearing thin," the president wrote.

The message appeared to be aimed at what has been his position since the beginning of the conflict: distancing himself from Israel's attack and warning Iran against retaliating against US targets. However, he soon after called for unconditional surrender while he considers whether to take that step, as Vice President J. D. Vance suggested on the social network X:"He may decide that additional steps are necessary to end Iranian [uranium] enrichment. That decision ultimately rests with the president."

Early Tuesday morning, aboard Air Force One, the presidential plane, Trump called for Iran's surrender."I'm not looking for a ceasefire. We're looking for something better than a ceasefire," he said first."An end, a real end, not a ceasefire, an end. Something that's permanent, or a complete surrender," he explained, assuring that he saw it as possible in the coming hours."It's very simple. They must surrender completely. Iran cannot have a single nuclear weapon," he insisted on Air Force One.

Trump had sounded optimistic about the possibility of a deal over the weekend, but his optimism has proven unfounded on other occasions, such as when he claimed he would end the war in Ukraine in one day. The president blames Iran for not having reached an agreement sooner in the weeks-long talks with the United States regarding its nuclear program.

On board Air Force One, he offered a mixed bag. First, he also indicated that he was considering sending Vice President J.D. Vance and his special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, to meet with the Iranians, but that it depended on what happened upon their return. Then he said,"I don't have much desire to negotiate" with Iran.

Asked whether Israel would slow down its attacks on Iran, Trump said, “You’re going to find out in the next couple of days. Nobody’s slowed down yet.” The Republican added that the United States is working to help Americans trying to flee the region amid the war between Israel and Iran. “We’re working on it, we’re doing the best we can,” he said.

“Something bigger than a ceasefire”

Earlier, after leaving Kananaskis, Canada, where the G7 summit is being held, Trump wrote on social media: “President Emmanuel Macron of France, in his quest for attention, mistakenly claimed that I left the G7 summit in Canada to return to Washington, D.C., to work on a ‘ceasefire’ between Israel and Iran. Not true! He has no idea why I am heading to Washington now, but it certainly has nothing to do with a ceasefire. It’s much bigger than that. Purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay tuned!” he said.

Upon arriving in Washington, he reiterated the idea with another post on Truth: “I have not contacted Iran for ‘peace talks’ in any way, shape, or form. This is just another FAKE NEWS and COMPLETELY MADE UP! If they want to talk, they know how to reach me. They should have taken the deal being offered—it would have saved so many lives!” he wrote.

Trump has so far sought to avoid being drawn into a war he would have preferred to avoid. Israel lacks the bunker-busting bombs or large bomber aircraft needed to destroy Iran's Fordow uranium enrichment plant, built deep underground inside a mountain, and therefore wants the United States to participate in the operation to dismantle Iran's nuclear program.

The president, however, has been adopting the first-person plural in his recent messages about the war."We now have total and absolute control of the skies over Iran," he said in another. The deployment of additional aircraft to the region includes F-16, F-22, and F-35 fighter jets, according to sources cited by Reuters, who emphasized the defensive nature of the fighter jet deployment, as they have been used to shoot down drones and missiles.

“IRAN CANNOT HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS,” Trump stressed Monday before returning to Washington. “Everyone should evacuate Tehran immediately!” he added. Later, when asked by reporters on Air Force One during the flight back to Washington why he had given that warning, he replied: “I just want people to be safe.”

Earlier, the Israeli military had asked some 330,000 residents of a central Tehran neighborhood to evacuate. Tehran is one of the largest cities in the Middle East, with around 10 million people, roughly equivalent to the entire population of Israel. People have been fleeing since the hostilities began, but a full evacuation of the city as Trump has called for would be chaotic.

Israel claims its widespread attack on Iran's top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment facilities, and ballistic missile program is necessary to prevent its historic adversary from moving closer to developing an atomic weapon. The attacks have killed more than 220 people in Iran and wounded some 1,300 since Friday.

Iran has responded by firing more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 have been injured. The Israeli military said a new salvo of missiles was launched on Tuesday and that explosions could be heard in northern Israel.