Trump urges Iran’s IRGC to surrender, offers ‘full immunity’ amid escalating West Asia conflict
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US President Donald Trump on Friday called on members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to surrender, offering what he described as “full immunity” while warning that those who continue to fight would face “guaranteed death”, as tensions in West Asia continue to escalate.
Speaking at an event at the White House to honour the Major League Soccer champions, Trump appealed directly to Iran’s military and security forces to lay down their arms.
“I'm once again calling on all members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the military, and the police to lay down their arms. They're only going to be killed. Now is the time to stand up for the Iranian people and help take back your country," Trump said.
He urged IRGC members to choose what he described as the “right side of history”, assuring them they would be “perfectly safe with total immunity” if they surrendered. Trump also called on Iranian diplomats stationed across the world to seek asylum and assist the US in shaping a “new and better Iran with great potential and a better future”.
“The US will ensure whoever leads the country next will not threaten America, or anybody else,” Trump said.
Who will lead Iran?
Trump’s remarks come a day after he indicated that he wanted to be personally involved in deciding Iran’s next leader following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In an interview with Axios on Thursday, the US President rejected the possibility of Khamenei’s son Mojtaba Khamenei taking over the leadership of Iran.
“They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy (Rodriguez) in Venezuela... Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” he said.
Why conflict intensifies across the region
Trump’s appeal marks his first direct public call for Iranian armed forces and diplomats to surrender since the conflict sharply escalated in the region.
The crisis began after a joint US–Israel military strike on Iranian territory on February 28 that targeted military and leadership sites across the country and killed several senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The operation triggered a major military confrontation across West Asia, with Iran launching retaliatory drone and missile attacks on Israel and US military bases in several Gulf countries.
The escalating hostilities have pushed the region into one of its most serious geopolitical crises in recent years, raising fears of a prolonged conflict, and broader instability across West Asia.