Trump decides when Iran surrenders 'whether they say it or not': Leavitt
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks to members of the media following U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to the White House from National Harbor, after his address to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) annual meeting, on the South Lawn in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 22, 2025. REUTERS/Craig Hudson

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to spin an Iranian "unconditional surrender" as something that was for President Donald Trump to decide.

During a press gaggle outside the White House on Friday, a reporter asked Leavitt about Trump's demand for an unconditional surrender.

"What does the president mean when he calls for unconditional surrender?" the reporter wondered. "Is he saying that the regime has to fully relinquish control?"

"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 has been fully realized, then Iran will essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender," Leavitt said. "Whether they say it themselves or not, frankly, they don't have a lot of people to say that for them because the United States and the state of Israel have completely wiped out more than 50 leaders of the former terrorist regime, including the Supreme Leader himself."