White House Energy Secretary Chris Wright called President Donald Trump a “creative negotiator” when asked about his threats to “knock out every single” power plant and bridge in Iran.
As peace talks between the United States and Iran appear to be at a stalemate amid a tenuous ceasefire agreement and continued jockeying over control of the Strait of Hormuz, the president demanded Iran accept America’s terms or face his full wrath in a Sunday morning Truth Social post.
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“NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!” Trump declared, calling the US’s diplomatic offer “very fair and reasonable.”
“The president is using every way he can to get leverage over the regime and bring this conflict to an end,” he told host Shannon Bream. “He’s a creative negotiator, he uses pressure in different ways.”
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“He uses uncertainty in different ways and I think as you’ve seen in the last 16 months, generally it leads to good results,” the cabinet member went on. “I don’t think we’ll see any surprises here.”
Wright envisioned reaching a “nice end to this conflict,” which he said would rescue Iran’s regional neighbors from “constant terror” and also guarantee a free “flow of goods” through the Strait of Hormuz.
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“Imagine a nuclear armed Iran, not far away from that reality,” he said. “This is going to put an end to it.”
Wright stuck by his support for Trump’s strategy in a separate Sunday interview on CNN, where host Jake Tapper asked the secretary if he was worried strikes on civilian infrastructure could “constitute a war crime.”
“The president is looking for maximum leverage,” he said, later adding, “No, I’m not worried about that.”
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Earlier this month, Trump triggered international panic with a near-identical ultimatum, telling Iran to “open the fuckin’ Strait” of Hormuz within two days or find themselves “living in hell” via Truth Social.
After upping the ante with a post warning “a whole civilization will die tonight” just hours before his 8pm April 7 deadline, a two-week ceasefire was announced.
“Your dad argues that diet soda is good for him because it kills grass if you pour it on grass, so therefore it must kill cancer cells inside the body,” Oz told Trump Jr. in disbelief, to which Trump Jr. just laughed and shrugged knowingly.
President Donald Trump drinks a soda as he hosts the Holyfield vs Belford boxing match live in 2021, next to his son Donald Trump Jr.
CHANDAN KHANNA via Getty Images
“I’m not even going to argue this right now,” Oz continued.
Oz then shared an anecdote of walking in on Trump drinking an orange Fanta on Air Force One, where he again repeated the theory.
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“He’s got a Fanta on the desk and I say, ‘Are you kidding me?’ So he starts to sheepishly grin, he goes, ‘You know, this stuff’s good for me, it kills cancer cells.’”
The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center declined to comment.
Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
Many people were sceptical of Trump’s frankly lame excuse for posting the meme, including former White House press secretary Anthony Scaramucci, who suggested on Monday it was time to kick Trump out of office for good.
“This guy should be removed immediately before his lack of impulse control causes an irreversible tragedy,” Scaramucci said on X. “He doesn’t believe what he just said, if he does it’s a cognitive crisis that responsible people would act on immediately.”
DR JC from Nazareth. This guy should be removed immediately before his lack of impulse control causes an irreversible tragedy. He doesn’t believe what he just said, if he does it’s a cognitive crisis that responsible people would act on immediately. https://t.co/1Nq8a8sesU
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DR JC from Nazareth. This guy should be removed immediately before his lack of impulse control causes an irreversible tragedy. He doesn’t believe what he just said, if he does it’s a cognitive crisis that responsible people would act on immediately. https://t.co/1Nq8a8sesU
He told Don Lemon the real people suffering from “TDS” are the folks “that are with him still.”
“Those are the people that are deranged,” he said. “Those are the people that have lost touch with reality in terms of how much damage he and his cronies are causing the country and the world.”
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In November, Scaramucci told “The Daily Beast Podcast” the truth about Trump’s popularity with donors, aides and Republican Party officials: He’s not.
“Anybody who thinks the party likes him doesn’t understand the party,” Scaramucci explained. “And that could be the donors who hold their nose and give him money, or that could be the political class that lives with them in Washington.”
He added that “if you’re inside Trump’s inner orbit, you hate the guy’s guts,” but said “there’s a dance because you’re afraid of him, because he’s intimidating you, because of his political prowess and his media presence.”
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“He’s sort of the big furry, he’s sasquatch of social media. And you don’t want him bigfooting your ass, right? So you’re afraid of him, but you hate his guts,” Scaramucci said.
Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
Vice president JD Vance tried to spin President Donald Trump’s now-deleted Truth Social post depicting himself as Jesus Christ in an AI-generated image.
“Well, first of all, Bret, I think the president was posting a joke,” Vance, who is Catholic, said. “And of course, he took it down because he recognised that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humour in that case.”
BAIER: I wonder as a catholic how you consider this picture which a lot of people took as the president posting a picture of himself as Jesus?
VANCE: I think the president was posting a joke and, of course, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren’t… pic.twitter.com/gdcaVw6Ahy
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BAIER: I wonder as a catholic how you consider this picture which a lot of people took as the president posting a picture of himself as Jesus?
VANCE: I think the president was posting a joke and, of course, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren’t… pic.twitter.com/gdcaVw6Ahy
Vance then tried to paint Trump’s unorthodox use of social media as a positive attribute.
“I think the president of the United States likes to mix it up on social media, and I actually think that’s one of the good things about this president, is that he’s not filtered. He doesn’t send everything through a communications professional. He actually reaches out directly to the people,” Vance said.
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Despite taking the post down, Trump tried to spin the image’s message.
Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
“I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History.”
Trump also took credit for the Chicago-born pope’s election, claiming the College of Cardinals selected the first-ever American pontiff last year because “they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”
President Donald Trump railed against Pope Leo while speaking with reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday night.
AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
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He repeated his grievances a little later when he spoke to reporters as he returned to Washington from Miami on Sunday night.
“I don’t think he’s doing a very good job,” Trump said. “He likes crime, I guess.”
He also called the pontiff “a very liberal person” and “a man that doesn’t believe in stopping crime.”
“I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” he added.
Trump’s attack came after the pope repeatedly called for peace amid the ongoing war with Iran.
He did so again on Saturday.
“Enough of the idolatry of self and money!” Leo said during an evening prayer service, according to The Associated Press. “Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!”
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The pope did not mention Trump by name as he described the “delusion of omnipotence” as a threat to global stability, but the comments apparently triggered the president.
I doubt Pope Leo XIV will lose any sleep over this, before he begins his pilgrimage to Africa tomorrow. But the rest of us should. Because it is unhinged, uncharitable and unchristian. Is there no bottom to this moral squalor? pic.twitter.com/XRr9lpv4ZF
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Is there no bottom to this moral squalor? pic.twitter.com/XRr9lpv4ZF— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) April 13, 2026\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":1067,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HFwCKWYWgAEeU8k.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":926,"title":"James Martin, SJ on Twitter / 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I doubt Pope Leo XIV will lose any sleep over this, before he begins his pilgrimage to Africa tomorrow. But the rest of us should. Because it is unhinged, uncharitable and unchristian. Is there no bottom to this moral squalor? pic.twitter.com/XRr9lpv4ZF
Hey @GOP, you good with your guy directly attacking the Pope now?
We know the leadership of the Republican Party is on their knees (not praying!) but if anyone over there still has a spine, this is an easy one! https://t.co/lSsZHk6tvQ
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) April 13, 2026
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Hey @GOP, you good with your guy directly attacking the Pope now?
We know the leadership of the Republican Party is on their knees (not praying!) but if anyone over there still has a spine, this is an easy one! https://t.co/lSsZHk6tvQ
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) April 13, 2026
As a Catholic, I find it abhorrent that the President of the United States would publicly attack the Successor of St. Peter. Donald Trump is flailing. His war in Iran has led to the death and injury of American servicemembers and the death of Iranian children. He will attack… pic.twitter.com/fl5d1G2QVP
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As a Catholic, I find it abhorrent that the President of the United States would publicly attack the Successor of St. Peter. Donald Trump is flailing. His war in Iran has led to the death and injury of American servicemembers and the death of Iranian children. He will attack… pic.twitter.com/fl5d1G2QVP
I try and focus on policy and ignore all the grotesque nonsense Trump spews on a daily basis but as a Catholic I can’t stay silent. This must be condemned by every Catholic, every Christian, indeed by everyone who follows any faith. Trump is an abomination https://t.co/XtxrFuNxMC
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Trump doesn’t realize what an absolute shitstorm he’s unleashing by acting so unhinged toward the Pope.
More then a few Catholics have obvious disagreements and dissentions from the Church, but just like when a nation or family is attacked by an outsider, a lot of us are going… https://t.co/Jgxt4j1ZRH
Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
The US president announced on Sunday that America and “other countries” will stop ships coming in and out of the vital waterway.
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Around one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquid gas supply usually passes through the key shipping lane.
But it has been effectively closed since the start of the war, with Iran targeting tankers which try to sail through it unless they agree to pay a toll.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: “The Blockade will begin shortly. Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade.
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“Iran will not be allowed to profit off this Illegal Act of EXTORTION. They want money and, more importantly, they want Nuclear. Additionally and, at an appropriate moment, we are fully “LOCKED AND LOADED,” and our Military will finish up the little that is left of Iran!”
However, it is understood the UK will not be part of the US effort, although British mine hunters are already in the area.
A government spokesperson would only say: “We continue to support freedom of navigation and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, which is urgently needed to support the global economy and the cost of living back home.
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“The Strait of Hormuz must not be subject to tolling. We are urgently working with France and other partners to put together a wide coalition to protect freedom of navigation.”
Meanwhile, Trump used an interview with Fox News on Sunday to once again compare Keir Starmer to Hitler-appeasing 1930s prime minister Neville Chamberlain.
He said: “Nato is shameful. I mean, look at the United Kingdom.
“PM Starmer said ‘we’ll send the equipment after the war is over’. I said ‘you don’t need equipment when the war is over. You need the equipment before the war starts, or during the war’.
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“He made a public statement that ‘we will send equipment after the war is over’, that’s a Neville Chamberlain statement.”
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said: “The UK should be working with other countries to get the US and Iran back to the negotiating table, not fanning the flames of war.
“It’s just days since Trump threatened to destroy a whole civilisation, and a return to war would be disastrous. The prime minister needs to work in lock-step with our reliable partners to secure a diplomatic end to this crisis.”
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Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
CNN senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes offered some insight as to why first lady Melania Trump, seemingly out of the blue, attempted to distance herself from the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday.
“I’m told by a number of White House officials that they were just absolutely stunned, particularly by the timing of these remarks,” Holmes told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Thursday night. “It sparked rumors all across the White House campus that she was trying to get ahead of something that most people must not know about.”
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Holmes added that some sources close to Trump told her they were less surprised by the first lady’s remarks because she had reportedly been growing frustrated with the online discourse about her alleged relationship with Epstein.
“She’s never actually come out and flat out denied it, and she wanted an on-the-record denial,” Holmes said.
Holmes: I am told by people who are close to her that they were a little bit less surprised because in private, Melania Trump has been growing increasingly frustrated with the online chatter about her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, and she’s never actually come out and flat… pic.twitter.com/Sbr3UWgM8q
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Holmes: I am told by people who are close to her that they were a little bit less surprised because in private, Melania Trump has been growing increasingly frustrated with the online chatter about her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, and she’s never actually come out and flat… pic.twitter.com/Sbr3UWgM8q
That came after Trump said Starmer was “not Winston Churchill” over his decision not to initially let US jets mount launch bombing raids on Iran from RAF bases.
The PM has also rejected the president’s calls for the UK to send warships to the Gulf to help re-open the Strait of Hormuz.
Starmer flew to Saudi Arabia in the immediate aftermath of a two-week ceasefire being agreed between Iran, America and Israel.
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He is due to have talks with leaders in the region on re-opening the strait.
Asked by reporters if his relationship with Trump was now “in tatters”, the PM said it wasn’t.
But in a clear dig at the president, he suggested the war broke international law – and was started with no plan on how to end it.
Starmer said: “I’ve acted as you would expect of a British prime minister, which is by being absolutely focused on what is our national interest, and that’s why I’ve applied my principles and my values throughout.
“And my principles and values made sure that our decisions were that we wouldn’t get involved in the action without a lawful basis, without a viable, thought-through plan.
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“That was the right position for the United Kingdom, and of course, that has included us taking action, collective self-defence.”
He added: “I’m the British prime minister. I act in the British national interest, but nothing, but nothing, is going to deflect me from that.”
Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
The economic pain at home and civilian death in the Middle East wrought by President Donald Trump’s war on Iran could hit new levels in the coming days if he follows through on an oft-repeated threat to destroy Iran’s entire electrical infrastructure.
Trump says an attack, which would almost certainly be a war crime, will come if Iran does not agree to a “deal” by Tuesday night. That country’s leaders will likely hit back in kind against Gulf states that are helping the United States, according to military and Iran experts.
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“Iran’s only retaliatory capability is to target America’s immediate allies in the Gulf, and Israel, if possible,” said Ray Takeyh of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Iran has, since the war began, struck military targets used by US forces in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. It has also targeted civilian infrastructure, but attacks on its own civilian infrastructure are likely to prompt further escalation. One especially life-threatening possibility is attacks on the Gulf states’ water desalination plants, which are even more critical to those predominantly desert countries than the ones in Iran.
“Iran has already demonstrated both its willingness and ability to retaliate in kind should the US and Israel escalate strikes on Iranian civilian infrastructure,” said Mona Yacoubian, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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“Bahrain and the UAE are among the likely countries to be hit. Israeli targets may prove more challenging, but Iran will certainly attempt to lash out at Israel as well.”
Such retaliation would dramatically increase the human suffering Trump’s war has already brought to the region, particularly if the damage to desalination plants reduces critical drinking water supply for residents.
Thirteen US service members have died in the war, with hundreds more injured. US and Israeli strikes in Iran have also killed at least 1,500 civilians, according to a human-rights group, including 175 at a girls school in the first hours of the attack.
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Iran is also likely to hit more oil production and distribution facilities in the region, which could further inflame the world’s oil market. Crude oil prices have increased about 50% since Trump launched the war, with petrol prices up more than a dollar a gallon in America.
Industry executive Matt Randolph, though, points out that it could get even worse if Iran, with its Houthi allies in Yemen, chooses to close the entrance to the Red Sea as it has already done at Hormuz, the entrance to the Persian Gulf.
“If the response by Iran is to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and I believe they will, then oil prices jump a lot,” he said. “They did it briefly in 2024 just for fun. Just to see if they could.”
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The Houthis attacked commercial shipping that year in retaliation for Israel’s total war approach in Gaza that wound up killing many tens of thousands of civilians there. Red Sea traffic was reduced dramatically for a period.
These possibilities did not appear to concern Trump on Monday. Speaking to reporters at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, he said Iran was not ready to accede to his demands to end the war.
“They just don’t want to say ‘uncle.’ They don’t want to cry, as the expression goes, ‘uncle,’ but they will. And if they don’t, they’ll have no bridges, they’ll have no power plants, they’ll have no anything. I won’t ― I won’t go further, because there are other things that are worse than those two,” he said.
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Hours later at a White House news conference he called to celebrate the recovery of two Air Force crew members whose F-15 fighter plane was shot down in Iran late last week, Trump repeated that his deadline for Iran to capitulate was just over a day away.
“We’re giving them till tomorrow, eight o’clock eastern time, and after that they’re going to have no bridges, they’re going to have no power plants. Stone Ages. Yeah, Stone Ages,” he said.
Asked whether that level of destruction would not necessarily harm civilians, Trump claimed that everyday Iranians want to be attacked.
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“They would be willing to ― they would be willing ― and it’s suffering. They would be willing to suffer that in order to have freedom. The Iranians have ― and we’ve had numerous intercepts: ‘Please keep bombing,’ bombs that are dropping near their homes, ‘Please keep bombing, do it.’ And these are people that are living where the bombs are exploding,” he said. “And when we leave and we’re not hitting those areas, they’re saying, ‘Please come back, come back, come back.’ These are the people.”
What precisely he wants from Iran, however, remains unclear. On several occasions since he began his air attack on February 28, Trump demanded regime change in Iran, but on Monday he said the regime has already changed. He continues to insist that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon while also saying that their programme to make one was “obliterated” in last June’s attacks.
And on Monday, he would not even say that reopening the Strait of Hormuz to unfettered oil tanker traffic was an absolute must ― which was the subject of his Easter demand that Iran “Open the Fuckin’ Strait” – because Iran could effectively close the strait merely by claiming to have laid mines in it.
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“They’re very good bullshit artists,” he said.
Trump also again refused to lay out what plan he has, if any, to conclude the war. “I have the best plan of all, but I’m not going to tell you what my plan is,” he said.
He also waxed poetic about an era when larger countries could steal natural resources from smaller ones — known as “pillaging” and defined as a war crime by the Geneva Conventions — and wished he could “take” Iran’s oil.
“I’ve said, why don’t we use it — ‘To the victor, go the spoils’ — and we don’t have that. We haven’t had that in this country probably in 100 years, because even the Second World War, you look at the Second World War, we didn’t have it with the Second World,” he said, before adding that he is good at languages and can probably get elected president of Venezuela after he leaves the White House.
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Trump has not ruled out using troops for a ground assault, but has not assembled anywhere near the size of a force necessary to seize and hold Iran’s oil production infrastructure.
When asked specifically whether he was trying to wind the war down or ramp it up, Trump responded: “I can’t tell you. I don’t know.”
Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
Donald Trump has doubled down on his threat to take out Iran by claiming the entire country could be wiped out in one night.
The US president claimed over the weekend that Tehran had until Tuesday 8pm ET (12am GMT) to open the major oil shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz, or face total wipeout.
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In a post on TruthSocial on Tuesday, he said: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!
“Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”
The country closed the waterway, which carries around a fifth of the world’s oil supply, in response to US-Israeli strikes five weeks ago – knocking the global economy in the process.
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While describing the US military’s “historic” mission to rescue two airmen from Iran during a press conference on Monday, the president interrupted himself to reissue his warning.
“The entire country could be taken out in one night. And that night might be tomorrow night,” the president said.
“They’re going to have no bridges,” Trump later added. “They’re going to have no power plants. Stone Ages, yeah.”
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During an earlier Easter address, Trump claimed Iran is “not too strong at all” compared to a month ago, when the US-Israeli strikes began.
He also told the press that the US would target Iranian civilian infrastructure if it does not surrender.
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“And if they don’t, they’ll have no bridges. They’ll have no power plants. They’ll have no anything,” Trump said.
Then he claimed he “won’t go further, because there are other things that are worse than those two”, adding: “If I had my choice, what would I like to do? Take the oil.
“Because it’s there for the taking. There’s not a thing they can do about it.
“Unfortunately the American people would like to see us come home. If it were up to me, I’d take the oil, I’d keep the oil […] make plenty of money and I’d also take care of the people of Iran.”
