Trump brands Iran a 'lunatic nation' that is 'begging for a deal' and slams Nato for failing to back his war
The President has stepped up efforts to strike a peace agreement with Tehran over the last few days, despite the White House threatening to 'unleash hell' if Iran refused to accept defeat
Donald Trump has branded Iran a “lunatic nation” that is “begging for a deal” as he once again hit out at NATO for failing to back his war in the Middle East.
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It comes as Trump told Iranian leaders, "get serious soon, before it is too late" after Tehran rejected his touted 15-point peace plan and continued to attack US and Israeli targets across the Middle East.
Taking to TruthSocial this morning, the US president described Iranian negotiators as “difficult” and “very strange” - despite Iran insisting no peace talks are taking place.
Trump wrote: "They are ‘begging’ us to make a deal, which they should be doing since they have been militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback, and yet they publicly state that they are only ‘looking at our proposal.’
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“WRONG!!! They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty!”
Minutes later, he ranted again, this time in all caps and, this time, attacking his NATO allies.
“NATO NATIONS HAVE DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO HELP WITH THE LUNATIC NATION, NOW MILITARILY DECIMATED, OF IRAN.
“THE U.S.A. NEEDS NOTHING FROM NATO, BUT ‘NEVER FORGET’ THIS VERY IMPORTANT POINT IN TIME!”
Speaking during a cabinet meeting later today, Trump took aim at the UK specifically, calling Britain's aircraft carriers "toys."
He said: "We had the UK say - this is three weeks ago - we'll send our aircraft carriers, which aren't the best aircraft carriers, by the way. They're toys compared to what we have."
The President has stepped up efforts to strike a peace agreement with Tehran over the last few days, despite the White House threatening to "unleash hell" if Iran refused to accept defeat.
Giving a lengthy speech at a fundraising dinner for Republicans in Washington on Wednesday evening, Trump said: "They want to make a deal so badly, but they're afraid to say it because they figure they'll be killed by their own people.
"They're also afraid they'll be killed by us."
He added: "There's never been a head of a country that wanted that job less than being the head of Iran."
He described Iran as the "cancer" in relation to its nuclear programme development, but said the US had eradicated it.
He said: "I thought that the energy prices, the oil prices would go up higher. I thought the stock market would go somewhat lower.
"But it didn’t matter to me, short term. What we had to do is get rid of the cancer. We had to cut out the cancer, and the cancer was Iran with a nuclear weapon".
Iran said it rejected the US plans to halt the war after Trump proposed a 15-point peace document on Tuesday, while launching more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries.
The strikes were also followed by reports that claim Iran is to be supported by Russia, with Moscow planning on sending drones, medicine supplies, and food to help its military efforts against the US and Israel.
According to the Financial Times, Vladimir Putin has already provided satellite imagery, targeting data and intelligence support.
Trump's apparent eagerness to strike a deal with Iran appears to be conflicted by mixed messages from his Government, after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a further warning.
She said on Wednesday that the US President "wants peace" but would ensure Iran was "hit harder than they have ever been hit before" if it refused to accept defeat.
Leavitt claimed Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks had fallen by roughly 90 per cent and said the US was "systematically dismantling" Iran’s defence industrial base.
She also said several 5,000lb bombs had been dropped over the weekend on underground Iranian facilities used to store missiles and weapons.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister said on state TV that his Government had not engaged in talks to end the war, and "we do not plan on any negotiations".
He told state TV: "At present, our policy is the continuation of resistance. We do not intend to negotiate – so far, no negotiations have taken place, and I believe our position is completely principled".
He said the exchange of messages was "sending messages through others".
Pakistani officials delivered the 15-point plan to Iran, described the 15-point proposal broadly, saying it addressed sanctions relief, a rollback of Iran's nuclear programme, limits on missiles, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Mediators are pushing for possible in-person talks between the Iranians and the Americans, perhaps as soon as Friday in Pakistan, the Egyptian and Pakistani officials said.