US President Donald Trump on March 7 declared that he is not interested in negotiating with Iran in the context of escalating war in the Middle East. He believes that the war may only end when Iran no longer has military forces operating or no longer has a leader in power.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Mr. Trump said that the air strike campaign could make negotiations unnecessary if all potential Iranian leaders are removed and the country's military is disrupted. He said that at some point there may be no one left to declare surrender.
Meanwhile, Iran and Israel continue to conduct many back-and-forth attacks as the war enters its 2nd week. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to neighboring countries for the impacts of Iran's actions, and called on them not to participate in attacks by the US and Israel.
Mr. Pezeshkian rejected Mr. Trump's demand for unconditional surrender, calling it "a dream". Iran's interim leadership also agreed to stop attacking neighboring countries if attacks on Iran do not originate from their territory.
However, Mr. Trump sees Iran's apology as a sign of surrender and warned that the US could expand attacks. Mr. Pezeshkian's statements have caused controversy within Iran. The Iranian Presidential Office later affirmed that the country's military would respond strongly if US bases in the region continued to launch attacks.
Some tough figures in Iran criticized President Pezeshkian's apology. Mr. Hamid Rasai - Iranian cleric and MP - said that the President's position is weak and unacceptable. Mr. Mohseni-Eje - head of the judiciary and member of the interim leadership council - declared that retaliatory attacks will continue if the territories of countries in the region are used to attack Iran.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps said that their drones attacked the US air force combat center at Al Dhafra base near Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Iran also announced an attack on an Israeli oil refinery.
In the past week, many Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Iraq have recorded attacks by missiles or drones. Iran said the attacks targeted Israel and Arab Gulf countries with US military bases.
Israel also expanded its military campaign to Lebanon after Hezbollah forces fired across the border. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the death toll from Israeli airstrikes in the country has increased to 294 people.
According to Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani, US and Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and injured thousands. Iranian attacks have killed 10 people in Israel.
