Donald Trump claims in G7 call that Iran is 'about to surrender': Report

U.S. President Donald Trump told leaders of the Group of Seven in a virtual meeting on Wednesday that Iran is “about to surrender,” according to three officials from G7 countries briefed on the call, Axios reported.

Trump privately expressed confidence about the outcome of the war even as the situation on the ground remains more complex, the report said.

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During the call, Trump also highlighted the results of what he described as Operation Epic Fury, telling allies: “I got rid of a cancer that was threatening us all.”

He also criticised Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, calling him a “lightweight”. Trump had previously said that the rise of the son of Iran’s former supreme leader Ali Khamenei would be “unacceptable” to the United States, as per the report.

The call took place amid growing concern among G7 leaders about the war’s economic fallout. Several leaders urged Trump to move quickly to end the conflict and stressed that the Strait of Hormuz must be secured as soon as possible, according to officials briefed on the discussion, Axios reported.

Trump said the situation around the strait was improving and that commercial ships should soon resume operations in the area, one official said, the report shows. However, at least two tankers were reportedly set ablaze off the coast of Iraq that same night.

Axios reported, citing sources that Trump was “ambiguous and noncommittal” about his objectives and timeline for ending the war. Some participants left the call believing he wanted to wind down the conflict, while others felt the opposite.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron also urged Trump not to allow Moscow to exploit the conflict or receive sanctions relief, officials said, as per the report.