President Donald Trump has threatened to blow up the country if the Iranian government does not stop mocking and threatening him amid growing unrest.
In a clip from his Tuesday night interview with NewsNation katie pavlich tonight In an advance message, Trump was asked about his reaction to what Pavlich said were taunts and threats directed at the president from Iranian leaders.
“Well, they shouldn’t be doing this, but I’ve left notice that if anything happens, the whole country is going to be blown up,” Trump responded.
Protests erupted in Iran weeks ago over rising inflation and demands for political change in the country. /Getty Images/Anonymous/Getty Images
He took some time to criticize his predecessor, President Joe Biden, for not saying anything about the Iranian regime, and then said: “The president has to defend the president. If I were here and they made a threat against someone — not even the president, but someone, like they did to me — I would absolutely come down on them hard.”
“But I have very clear instructions,” he continued. “Whatever happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of the earth.”
The president said he was ready to blow up Iran if the Iranian government did not stop threatening him. / news nation
Discussing his other geopolitical ambitions, including seizing control of Greenland, Trump argued that control of Denmark’s autonomous territory was crucial to ensuring the effectiveness of his so-called “Golden Dome” defense shield, telling Pavlich that “having Greenland makes it a more effective Golden Dome.”
“So you’re saying Greenland is vital to the security of the United States and the liberal Western world?” Pavlic asked him. “That’s right,” Trump responded, adding, “Even beyond missile defense, it’s very important to the Golden Dome, it’s very important to national security and even international security.”
The president also mentioned the top-secret weapons he possesses, telling Pavlich, “We have weapons that no one knows about. It’s probably a good thing not to talk about it, but we have some amazing weapons,” referring to his attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro.
Trump has previously said that if Iran follows through on its threats to target U.S. military or commercial bases, “we will strike them with “very, very powerful force” like never before.”
When a CNN reporter asked him earlier this month if he thought Iran took his threats seriously, Trump dismissed the question as silly, saying Iran had “been through this with me for many years,” pointing to the killings of Revolutionary Guard commander Qasem Soleimani and Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as evidence.
“I think so. CNN, don’t you think so? Don’t you think so? Don’t you say they might do that now? After years of experience with me, having been hit – Soleimani, Baghdadi – the Iranian nuclear threat was eliminated. Don’t you think?” he said, referring to the attacks he launched last June on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
The president has expressed support for Iran’s anti-government protesters, even encouraging them to take over state institutions and assuring them that help is coming as concerns grow over a crackdown on protesters, including arrests and unlawful killings.
“Iranian patriots, keep protesting – take over your institutions!!! Keep the names of the murderers and torturers. They will pay a huge price. I have canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops. Help is on the way,” he wrote in a Jan. 13 Truth Society post.
He ended the article with “MIGA!!!” or “Make Iran Great Again.”
President Donald Trump pledges help to Iranian protesters in Truth Social post Jan. 13, 9:43 a.m.
A day later, he told reporters that he had been informed that Iran had stopped killing protesters and that there were no plans for further executions, without providing any sources for his assertion.
The Iranian government responded to Trump’s threats with its own, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying, “We are not seeking war, but we are ready for war.” He added, “We are also ready to negotiate, but with fairness, equal rights and mutual respect.”
Iran’s Guardian Council also condemned Trump’s “insults and baseless remarks by criminals and fools” and stressed that any illegal behavior against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “is considered to have crossed the red line of the pious people of the Islamic Republic of Iran and will bring heavy costs and serious consequences.”
