Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran’s security forces on Thursday, urging members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the military, and police to surrender or face what he described as “guaranteed death” as the United States intensified its military operations against Iran.
Speaking at the White House, Trump called on Iranian security personnel to abandon the country’s leadership and side with the Iranian public, offering what he said would be immunity for those who lay down their weapons.
“I’m once again calling on all members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the military and the police to lay down their arms,” Trump said. “Accept immunity, we’ll give you immunity. You’ll be perfectly safe with total immunity, or you’ll face absolutely guaranteed death.”
The remarks came as the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran continued to escalate across the Middle East, with missile exchanges, drone attacks and airstrikes expanding the scope of the confrontation.
Iran launched what officials described as one of its most intense missile and drone barrages late Thursday, targeting Israel and several U.S. allies in the Gulf. Explosions and smoke were reported in multiple locations, including the Saudi capital Riyadh and near the Yas Marina area in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where several people were reported injured.
Iranian officials had earlier warned that the United States would “bitterly regret” recent attacks on its naval forces after Washington reportedly destroyed one of Iran’s warships. In response, Tehran launched hundreds of drones and missiles toward targets across the region.
Despite the retaliation, Trump claimed the United States and Israel had inflicted significant damage on Iran’s military capabilities. The president said American forces had destroyed dozens of Iranian naval vessels in recent operations.
“The Iranian navy is gone,” Trump said. “They have no air force, they have no air defense. The United States military, together with our Israeli partners, continues to demolish the enemy far ahead of schedule.”
The Israeli military has also indicated that operations against Iran are expanding. Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, said Israeli forces were entering the next phase of the campaign aimed at weakening Iran’s military infrastructure.
According to Zamir, Israel and the United States have been working to strategically isolate Iran and degrade its capabilities through sustained strikes on military facilities and command structures.
“We have struck Iran without pause,” Zamir said, adding that the operation was proceeding according to the timeline set by Israeli planners.
Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated that American military activity over Iran could increase further in the coming days. He said the United States was preparing to deploy additional aircraft and expand bombing operations.
Hegseth also criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for initially hesitating to allow U.S. forces to launch strikes from British military bases.
“It’s more fighter squadrons, more capabilities, more defensive systems and more bomber missions,” Hegseth said, suggesting that the intensity of U.S. operations over Iran and around Tehran could soon rise significantly.
Despite the escalating military campaign, Trump said Iran had recently attempted to open negotiations to end the conflict, though he dismissed the overtures as coming too late.
“They’re calling, they’re saying, ‘How do we make a deal?’” Trump said. “I told them, ‘You’re a little bit late.’”
The president’s comments came amid mounting concerns that the widening confrontation could draw additional countries into the conflict. With missile strikes, air raids and naval clashes now occurring across several parts of the Middle East, analysts warn that the crisis risks developing into one of the region’s most dangerous military escalations in years.
