Donald Trump points Iran risk at Nato summit in astonishing ‘scum’ tirade
At the Nato summit, Donald Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran was over on Wednesday in an astonishing tirade where he threatened Tehran and branded the leadership “scum”
The US President issued fresh threats against Iran from the Nato summit in Turkey(Image: AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Donald Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran was over on Wednesday in an astonishing tirade where he threatened Tehran and branded the leadership “scum”. The US President issued fresh threats against Iran from the Nato summit in Turkey after exchanges of fire overnight, with Iran targeted at least 85 times in one of the most powerful US bombing runs so far in the war. American strikes hit Iran’s Qeshm island, the key port of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, Iranian state media reported, where people have been injured by shrapnel. Iran hit back by claiming it had attacked a US Navy headquarters and an air base in Kuwait. It comes after Tehran’s troops attacked three oil and gas tankers attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on the Omani side. Iran has warned shipping it must pass by the Strait using their side of the waterway, insisting that it retains control of incoming and outgoing traffic.
Mr Trump said: “They [Iran] launched a couple of drones and one missile at ships, because they were in the Strait, which they have every right to be. And so we had them very hard last night. We’ll probably hit them hard again tonight. I’ll give them a little warning.” The US President even said Washington had given Tehran permission to have a week-long funeral procession for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Sitting alongside Nato General Secretary Mark Rutte, he said: “They’re sick. There’s something wrong with them. We said ‘Go and do your funeral stuff’, and instead of that, they start shooting rockets and ships yesterday. So we hit them very hard last night.”
He went on: “Of course they’re dirty players so they go after everyone. So we don’t like them, I don’t like them, and they’re evil people.” Asked about the peace talks, Mr Trump added: “To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them any more.” One British intelligence analyst told the Daily Mirror: “These attacks on targets within Iran were about five times bigger and more powerful than previous ones. Something appears to have changed in the tempo of attacks and it seems an escalation is underway. Despite Trump’s belligerence he is rattled.”
Reacting to Trump’s claims, Iran has threatened to put global oil trade passing the Strait of Hormuz in an iron grip, paralysing it, if Washington attacked again. It also said it would attack neighbouring countries and their oil trade. The Fars News agency, which has close ties to the IRGC, said in a statement: “Any renewed aggression on the part of the enemy must be met with a response that directly targets the vital interests of the United States and its allies.” The US President also used the Nato summit in Ankara to revive threats to take control of Greenland and lambast allies for failing to join his war with Tehran. He ordered an immediate halt to trade with Spain in a row over defence spending and Madrid’s refusal to allow the US to use its airspace or bases. But his fiery bluster appeared to fizzle out – and by the end he said there was “a lot of love” and “a lot of unity” at a closed-door meeting of Nato leaders. Mr Starmer also revealed that Mr Trump had not confronted him over defence spending – as No10 had feared – after the UK’s defence investment plan (Dip) failed to set out a route to hit the Nato target of spending 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035. Instead, he said the US President praised Britain for putting another £15billion into defence over the next 10 years. He told reporters: “President Trump thanked us for the contribution we made, actually, over many years in material terms. “Mark Rutte thanked us particularly for the Dip further investment, and I had no discussion with Donald Trump in which he made any issue with me in relation to the defence spending for the United Kingdom.” The PM and Mr Trump struck up a close relationship but things rapidly deteriorated after Mr Starmer refused to join the war with Iran. However, Mr Starmer said the pair would stay in touch after he leaves office in less than a fortnight. Asked about their relationship, he said: “So far as President Trump is concerned, we have got along really well. There’s no doubt about that, and we will, and we discussed a moment ago, we’ll stay in touch. “That is important in terms of the relationship between the UK and the US, because it is a really important strategic relationship for the UK. It’s an integral part of Nato… I very much saw it as my duty to make sure it’s a relationship that worked.”
