Reporter Gobsmacked as Trump Claims He Got ‘Unconditional Surrender’ From Iran: ‘It Is?’

President Donald Trump told Marc Caputo of Axios on Thursday that the U.S. had bombarded Iran into “unconditional surrender.” His remarks came a day after he signed a memorandum of understanding meant to end the current war.

Pundits and politicians from across the political spectrum have panned the deal as being too lenient on Iran. Some of the loudest criticisms have come from the right.

Fox News host Mark Levin called it “unthinkable,” while his Fox colleague Trey Gowdy said the deal will make Iran “richer.” Meanwhile, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said Trump is getting “very poor advice.”

The arrangement, which could ultimately end the war, contains 14 provisions, which require Iran to allow ships to travel freely through the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. to cease its naval blockade of the country, and Iran to have access to at least $300 billion in financing.

In the interview, Caputo asked Trump what he had learned about presidential power, and appeared stunned when the commander in chief claimed the U.S. achieved what “really probably is unconditional surrender”:

CAPUTO: What have you learned about, not just the exercise of power, but the limits on your power as a result of the conflict?

TRUMP: There are no limits.

CAPUTO: No limits?

TRUMP: No, none. I haven’t learned that lesson yet. I know there are. But you know, there are no limits. We defeated them totally militarily.

[…]

CAPUTO: At the beginning of the conflict, you had talked about, you only wanted unconditional surrender. And–

TRUMP: Well–

CAPUTO: The [memorandum of understanding] doesn’t look like unconditional surrender.

TRUMP: Well, it really probably is unconditional surrender.

CAPUTO: It is?

TRUMP: I think so.

Unconditional surrender is when one or more parties in a war surrender without receiving anything in exchange and fully submit to the other side.

On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance, who helped negotiate the deal, offered a stinging rebuke to the agreement’s critics, particularly those in the Israeli government, which launched the war with the U.S. in February.

“Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time, Vance said. “And he happens to be the head of state of the world superpower. If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.”

Watch above via Axios and CNN.

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