Trump Demands Irans Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating War in the Middle East
On June 17, 2025, President Donald Trump made a bold statement on Truth Social, as the Israel-Iran war escalated. The President declared that the United States now has "complete and total control of the skies over Iran," and that "Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, but it doesn’t compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured 'stuff.' Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA." Trump's statement was followed by a call for "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!" and a warning that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is an easy target, though they aren't going to kill him—at least not for now. Earlier in the day, Trump had also warned everyone to immediately evacuate Tehran. The markets immediately began to dip following the latest indication of the U.S. getting more involved in the war. The total crypto market cap declined to $3.24 trillion as we write, with Bitcoin falling 0.20% in an hour to trade at $104,275.54 at press time. Ethereum declined 0.50% in an hour to $2,493.97, XRP also fell 0.28% to trade at $2.17, and Solana fell 0.44% to $147.19. The price of Brent crude oil also immediately jumped north of $75 a barrel within minutes of Trump making the post on social media. Since Iran is one of the world's leading producers of crude oil, the impact of the war on oil prices is estimated to be severe. The price of gold—Bitcoin maximalists refer to the king coin as "digital gold"—reached $3,380 per oz. The latest war in the Middle East has led to a massive sell-off in the crypto market. Its total market cap fell from $3.4 trillion to $3.22 trillion on June 13 when Israel attacked Iran. The market recently recovered to $3.39 trillion, but the latest announcement by Trump again led to it dipping to $3.24 trillion at the time of writing. Trump's call for Iran's 'unconditional surrender' first appeared on TheStreet on June 17, 2025, where it was originally reported by the publication.
