U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media traveling on Air Force One while heading to Miami, March 7, in this Getty Images photo. AFP-Yonhap

BEIRUT/MIAMI/TEL AVIV/DUBAI — U.S. President Donald Trump said he is not interested in negotiating with Iran and raised the possibility that the Iran war would only end once Tehran no longer has a functioning military or any remaining leadership in power.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump said the air campaign could make negotiations a moot point if all potential leaders of Iran are killed and the Iranian military is destroyed.

"At some point, I don't think there will be anybody left maybe to say 'We surrender,'" Trump said.

Rocket trails are seen in the sky above Netanya, Israel, March 7. AFP-Yonhap

Iran president's apology causes stir

Israel and Iran traded numerous attacks on Saturday as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran entered a second week. Iran's president apologized to neighboring states for its attacks on U.S. facilities in those countries, in an attempt to cool anger across the Gulf, but stirred criticism from hardliners at home. "I personally apologize to neighboring countries that were affected by Iran's actions," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said, urging them not to join U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

He dismissed Trump's demand for the Islamic Republic's unconditional surrender as "a dream," but said its temporary leadership council had agreed to suspend attacks on nearby states unless strikes on Iran originated from their territory. Pezeshkian's comments caused a political stir in Iran, prompting his office to reiterate Iran's military would respond firmly to attacks from U.S. bases. Ali Larijani, Iran's secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said on state television there was no rift among Iranian officials over its handling of the war.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Saudi Arabia has told Tehran that continued Iranian attacks on the kingdom and its energy sector could push Riyadh to respond in kind, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The governments of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates reported Iranian drone attacks in their countries on Saturday and early Sunday with varying degrees of damage but no reported deaths. Iran's Revolutionary Guards also targeted U.S. forces at a base in Bahrain, Iranian state media said.

Source: Korea Times News