Trump: Iran will surrender

Broad economic pressure campaign

Trump's remarks come against the backdrop of a sweeping economic pressure campaign the United States is waging on Iran. As Kikar HaShabbat reported, the US Treasury is expected to permit Iraqi Airways to operate round-trip flights between Iran and Najaf for a month, after the sudden closure of the flights created chaos on the ground and massive human bottlenecks.

The draconian American move was based on the announcement by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who declared that starting September 23, any company or country providing fuel, ground services, landing rights or tickets to Iranian airlines would be financially blacklisted and immediately cut off from the dollar system and the American financial system. The operation, dubbed "Economic Outcast," has already proven itself in the field: American officials report that between 80 and 90 percent of Iranian flights have been halted.

Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guards published an unusually lengthy document — some 26 pages — addressed directly to the American public. The letter, titled "An Open Letter to the American People," was published in English and Farsi in official Iranian media outlets, and calls on young people, academics and media figures in the United States "to take control," to oppose President Donald Trump's policies, to reject support for Israel and foreign wars, and to reconsider the choice of leaders in the upcoming midterm elections in November.

The organization's spokesman, Brigadier General Hossein Mohebby, said at a press conference that he does not expect the letter to change the administration's behavior, but expressed belief that voters might hear the message if they become more familiar with "the facts." According to him, the goal is "to introduce the American public to Iranian logic."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed in a Fox News interview the arrest of five suspects in Britain on suspicion of attempting to detonate a car bomb near Fairford Air Force Base. "What almost happened in Britain over the weekend is a very serious situation. This is a situation that clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor," Rubio claimed. "Iran has openly threatened to attack American interests around the world. We will always take that very seriously. There will be consequences if this ever happens or is even attempted," the secretary of state clarified.