Ret. General Says Trump Has 'Unique Credibility' with Iran as Admin Weighs Move

Retired Marine Corps General Frank McKenzie, former commander of United States Central Command, says any threats from Trump have “unique credibility” with Iran because of the US strike during his first term that killed the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

President Donald Trump was meeting with his national security team in Washington on Tuesday to discuss the escalating Middle East conflict, according to people familiar with the matter, fueling fresh speculation that the US is on the verge of joining Israel’s attack on Iran.

Before gathering his advisers in the White House Situation Room, Trump posted a demand for Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” and warned of a possible strike against the country’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump posted on social media.

Israel also sought to ratchet up pressure on Iran, signaling it will intensify a campaign of air strikes that have targeted the country’s nuclear facilities as well as military leaders and infrastructure. US weapons are seen as key to achieving a more complete destruction of the Islamic Republic’s atomic program than anything Israel can do alone.

The escalating war began with an Israeli attack late last week and has seen the sworn enemies trade missile salvos for five days. Trump departed early from the Group of Seven leaders meeting in Canada to deal with the crisis.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who’s also attending that summit, told the country’s public broadcaster ZDF that a US decision on whether to join the war militarily would come “in the course of the day” and said that if Iran doesn’t return to the negotiating table, then “the complete destruction of Iran’s nuclear program may be on the agenda.”

Iran had been negotiating with the US for weeks over a nuclear deal before Israel launched its surprise assault.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to step up the campaign on Tuesday, saying the military will attack “very significant targets in Tehran” and adding that residents should evacuate. Earlier in the day, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said that, while it’s too early to assess the success of the current campaign in Iran, strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities are “deepening” every day.

Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency cited the country’s armed forces chief of staff as saying that it plans a “punitive operation” against Israel and warned Israelis to evacuate Tel Aviv and Haifa.

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