Donald Trump has unleashed a furious outburst against Iran, warning they are “finished” as US-Iran peace talks once again collapse. He wrote on Truth Social: “We didn’t meet out of desperation, Iran did. They are FINISHED! We’ll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not ten cents!”
The US President’s latest outburst came as hopes of a lasting peace in the Middle East suffered a fresh setback. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, claimed Washington had pursued the interim agreement out of “desperation”, prompting Mr Trump’s furious response on Truth Social. Planned talks between Washington and Tehran in Switzerland were then called off, raising fresh questions over whether a long-term agreement can be secured. The negotiations had been expected to build on a 14-point interim framework agreement, with both sides given 60 days to hammer out a permanent settlement. Reports suggested Iran did not send a delegation to Switzerland following deadly overnight airstrikes in southern Lebanon, dealing another blow to hopes of peace before Israel and Hezbollah later renewed their ceasefire.
In his latest Truth Social post, Mr Trump doubled down on his defence of the interim US-Iran agreement and his handling of the conflict.
He wrote: “The War has diminished Iran! It doesn’t, any longer, have an Air Force, a Navy, Antiaircraft Equipment, Radar, or practically anything else, and yet the Dumocrats say that Iran is better off now than it was four months ago.
“Can you imagine getting away with that??? How stupid can some people be??? President DJT.”
The President’s comments come amid mounting pressure over the interim deal unveiled earlier this week, which was designed to halt months of fighting and pave the way for a permanent peace settlement.
However, the agreement has come under fire from both Tehran and some of Mr Trump’s own Republican allies, who argue it offers too many concessions to Iran.
Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy was among those to hit out at the deal, declaring: “Reagan is rolling over in his grave.”
He later branded the agreement “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades”, claiming Iran’s nuclear ambitions had not been sufficiently curbed.
Former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley also questioned plans to help Iran’s recovery, writing: “This regime chants death to America, murders our troops, and attempts to assassinate Americans on U.S. soil.”
The diplomatic crisis unfolded against the backdrop of renewed violence in Lebanon, where a comprehensive ceasefire was supposed to take effect under the wider framework agreement.
However, Israel launched fresh strikes in the country’s south overnight, saying it had killed “dozens of Hezbollah terrorists” in response to attacks that left four Israeli soldiers dead. Lebanese officials, meanwhile, said women and children were among those killed.
In a dramatic late twist, a US official said Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia had agreed to a fresh ceasefire, with Hezbollah saying the truce took effect immediately while Israel insisted it reserved the right to strike against any future threats.
