Trump tells G7 Iran 'about to surrender' amid escalating conflict

President Trump told G7 leaders Iran was 'about to surrender' and publicly warned the regime. But Iran's new Supreme Leader vowed revenge, and its IRGC launched a new missile operation against US and Israeli targets, prolonging the conflict.

Trump Asserts US Dominance, Claims Iran Nears Surrender

US President Trump has told the Group of Seven countries on a call on Wednesday (local time) that Iran was about to surrender, reported Axios, citing officials of three G7 countries who were on the call.

The call came before Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed vengeance and urged citizens to continue their fight against the attacks by US and Israel. The Axios report said that President Trump was as confident about the war's outcome in private as he is in public. However, today, Trump signalled US' intention of going all out in its campaign against Iran's Islamic regime, warning Iran to watch out for what would happen today and saying that the US was winning the conflict despite what reports claimed. "We are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise, yet, if you read the Failing New York Times, you would incorrectly think that we are not winning. Iran's Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth. We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time - Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today. They've been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honour it is to do so," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Iran Retaliates with 'Operation True Promise 4'

Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said it had launched the 44th phase of its Operation True Promise 4, targeting a series of key military sites in Israeli-occupied lands and US bases across West Asia. IRGC said the operation began with a heavy barrage of Kheibar Shekan missiles, each carrying a one-ton warhead, which hit multiple strategic locations, including Israeli military positions in the Palestinian territories, Tel Aviv, Eilat, and West Al-Quds.

The commander of Iran's Khatam al Anbiya headquarters Major General Ali Abdollahi said in a statement that Iranian armed forces will stand to the "last breath" against enemies. The enemy, he added, will be "forced to pay the price for its crimes."

Reports Reveal US Underestimated Iran's Hormuz Strategy

Earlier, a CNN report said that the administration of US President Donald Trump reportedly underestimated the likelihood that Iran would close the strategic Strait of Hormuz in response to US military strikes. CNN sources revealed that while planning for the ongoing military operation, the Pentagon and the National Security Council did not fully anticipate that Iran would attempt to close the waterway, despite long-standing contingency plans developed by the US military for such a scenario. Officials from the US Departments of Energy and Treasury were present at some planning meetings before the operation began, but CNN sources said the detailed economic forecasts and interagency analysis that typically shape major decisions were not central to the discussions.

The conflict has already entered Day 13 and neither side is showing any side of moving back.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)