White House claims Trump will decide when Iran has unconditionally surrendered

Photo taken on Dec. 28, 2018 shows the White House and a stop sign in Washington D.C., the United States. [Photo/Xinhua]

U.S. President Donald Trump will alone decide when Iran has effectively delivered the "unconditional surrender" Washington demands, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday.

Hours earlier, Trump said on Truth Social that "there will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender."

"What the president means is that when he, as commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces, determines that Iran no longer poses a threat to the United States of America, and the goals of Operation Epic Fury have been fully realized, then Iran will essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender, whether they say it themselves or not," Leavitt told reporters.

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that his country is not requesting a ceasefire and does not see any reason to negotiate with Washington.

The United States and Israel launched joint military attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, multiple senior military commanders and hundreds of civilians. Iran has responded with multiple waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. assets across the region.