Israel-Iran conflict: Trump wants ‘real end’, not ceasefire

US President Donald Trump yesterday dramatically stepped up his rhetoric against Iran, fueling questions about whether the United States would join Israel's attacks on Tehran's leadership and nuclear facilities.

He said he wants a "real end" to the conflict between Israel and Iran, not just a ceasefire, as the arch foes traded fire for a fifth day yesterday.

The US president also said on social media that the US knows where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is but will not kill him "for now."

"But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" said Trump.

Minutes later, the US president followed up with another message simply saying: "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"

His comments came as Israeli warplanes yesterday targeted military sites in Iran, killing a senior commander and drawing retaliatory missile fire from Iran. Loud bangs were heard in Tehran on several occasions yesterday.

Explosions were also heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as air raid sirens sounded in many parts of Israel following missile launches from Iran, the Israeli military said.

Iranian state television said the Tel Aviv headquarters of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency was among the targets hit by the missiles.

The Israeli military said it killed senior Iranian commander Ali Shamdani in an overnight strike on a "command centre in the heart of Tehran", just four days after his predecessor, Golam Ali Rashid, was killed in a similar Israeli attack.

It also said it targeted multiple missile and drone sites in west Iran, including infrastructure, launchers and storage facilities, with black-and-white footage showing some of them exploding.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said meanwhile that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could face the same fate as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a US-led invasion and eventually hanged after a trial.

Despite mounting calls to de-escalate, neither side has backed off from the missile blitz that began Friday, when Israel launched an unprecedented aerial campaign targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities.

A cyberattack on Tuesday crippled Sepah Bank, one of Iran's main state-owned banks, the Fars news agency reported.

Trump flew back early from the G7 summit in Canada late Monday and was set to meet top officials in the White House Situation Room.

The US president has so far stressed that his country is not getting involved in the conflict, and has said that Iran could still take a deal to end its nuclear program that he had proposed before Israel's attacks.

But Trump has given mounting signals that Washington's intervention in some form may now be imminent.

Trump said Tuesday that "we" have complete and total control of the skies over Iran, hailing the use of US-made weaponry without explicitly mentioning Israel.

Israel, the closest US ally in the Middle East, had recently made a similar claim.

Earlier, Trump told reporters on Air Force One while returning from Canada that he wanted "a real end, not a ceasefire" to the Iran-Israel conflict, and warning that "I'm not in too much of a mood to negotiate."

"I'm not looking for a ceasefire, we're looking at better than a ceasefire," he told reporters.

Trump had earlier issued an extraordinary warning on his Truth Social platform, saying: "Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!"

He said something "much bigger" is on the cards and predicted that Israel would not be easing its attacks on Iran.

"You're going to find out over the next two days. You're going to find out," he said.

Meanwhile, Iran's armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi yesterday urged residents of the major Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv to evacuate, warning of imminent "punitive" attacks.

He added that previous attacks on Israel have so far only been for "deterrence" purposes.

Meanwhile, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the United States was deploying "additional capabilities" to the Middle East.

The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz left Southeast Asia Monday, scrapping a planned Vietnam port call, amid reports it was heading to the region.

Amid the belligerent rhetoric, China yesterday accused Trump of "pouring oil" on the conflict.

"Making threats and mounting pressure will not help to promote the de-escalation of the situation, but will only intensify and widen the conflict," said foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun.

China also urged its citizens to leave Iran "as soon as possible".

Meanwhile, Russia said it was ready to act as a peace broker between Israel and Iran, but that Israel was showing reluctance to accept outside mediation.

After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel launched its surprise air campaign last week, saying it aimed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons -- an ambition Tehran denies.

At least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded, according to Netanyahu's office.

Iran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not issued an updated toll since then.

Netanyahu said Israel was "changing the face of the Middle East, and that can lead to radical changes inside Iran itself".

At the G7 summit, leaders called for "de-escalation" while stressing Israel had the right to defend itself.

"We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza", G7 leaders said in a joint statement that also affirmed "Iran can never have a nuclear weapon".

It also said, "Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror."

Yesterday, Iran accused the G7 of siding with Israel.

"The G7 must give up its one-sided rhetoric and tackle the real source of the escalation -- Israel's aggression," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.

"Israel has launched an unprovoked war of aggression against Iran... in violation of... the UN Charter," the spokesman said.

"Iran is defending itself against a cruel aggression. Does Iran really have any other choice?" he asked.