President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. will not forge a deal to halt military strikes on Iran unless the nation consents to “unconditional surrender.”

“Following that, and the choosing of a great acceptable leader, we, along with many of our splendid and extremely brave allies and partners, will toil ceaselessly to pull Iran back from the edge of destruction, making it economically larger, better, and more powerful than ever,” Trump said on Friday morning.

He concluded his Truth Social post by stating ‘Iran will have a splendid future’ and reiterating his frequently employed ‘Make Iran Great Again’ alternative slogan.

Trump’s remarks came a few hours after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that “certain countries” have launched mediation endeavors to put an end to the rapidly intensifying war.

“Let’s be explicit: we are dedicated to enduring peace in the region but we have no reluctance in safeguarding our nation’s dignity and sovereignty. Mediation ought to target those who underestimated the Iranian people and sparked this conflict,” he stated.

However, Trump’s demand for surrender implies that bringing an end to the conflict may be arduous to negotiate.

Iran has already put forward a defiant response to Trump’s refusal to rule out deploying troops on Iranian soil—an escalation he claims he would be open to ‘if required’.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday maintained that his country is prepared for a possible ground invasion by American troops.

“We are awaiting them,” he stated. “Because we are certain that we can face them, and that would be a major catastrophe for them.”

Araghchi, speaking before Pezeshkian, also declined to consider cease-fire negotiations.

“We didn’t request a cease-fire even last time. In prior instances, it was Israel that asked for a cease-fire. They demanded an unconditional cease-fire after 12 days when we resisted their aggression,” he said, referring to the 12-day conflict last June, during which the U.S. and Israel united to target three crucial Iranian nuclear facilities.

Since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran over the weekend, leading to the death of Iranian and several other senior figures, the country has retaliated by targeting several Gulf nations, international oil tankers and facilities, and military airbases.

So far, six American service members in the region have been killed by Iranian retaliatory strikes. Trump has described the fallen troops as “true American patriots”

In a phone interview with TIME on Wednesday, when asked if Americans should be concerned about retaliatory attacks at home, Trump said: “I suppose. But I think they’re worried about that constantly. We think about it constantly. We plan for it.”

Repeating remarks he made earlier, the President went on: “Yeah, you know, we anticipate certain things. As I said, some people will perish. When you go to war, some people will perish.”

Trump also stated that he means to have a part in shaping Iran’s next government and who leads it, emphasizing that it must be a choice that is acceptable to the U.S.

“One of the things I will be requesting is the ability to collaborate with them on choosing a new leader,” he said. “I’m not going through this to end up with another Khamenei. I want to be involved in the selection. They can choose, but we have to ensure it’s someone who is reasonable to the United States.”