"Iran will either have a deal or US will do nasty things," says Trump
Washington DC, May 21
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the US is in the final stages with Iran, and cautioned they might do something "nasty" if Iran doesn't sign a deal.
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews while travelling to Groton, Connecticut, Trump said, "We're in the final stages with Iran. We'll see what happens. Either they have a deal or we're going to do some things that are a little bit nasty, but hopefully that won't happen."
Trump then said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will do whatever he says, and is a good man.
"Netanyahu will do whatever I want him to do. He's a very good man. Don't forget, he was a wartime Prime Minister, and he's not treated right in Israel, in my opinion. Right now, I'm at 99% in Israel. I could run for Prime Minister, so maybe after I do this, I'll go to Israel and run for Prime Minister. I had a poll this morning, I'm at 99%. But no, he's a wartime Prime Minister. I just don't think they treat him well. I think they have a president over there that treats him very poorly. If somebody comes along, I'd look. It's a little late in the race, but if somebody comes along, I'd look," he said.
Trump further noted that the US was involved in various wars earlier, but the war on Iran has been on for three months only.
"We'll see what happens. Look at it this way: you were in Vietnam for 19 years, you were in Afghanistan for 10 years, you were in Iraq for 12 years, you were in Korea for 7 years. World War II was different, that was four years. I've been in for three months, and much of it has been a ceasefire. And you know what? We lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers in these other wars," he said.
He further said that great things are on the way in the next three years of his presidency.
"In two wars, Venezuela, where we lost nobody, and here, we lost 13 people. Now, 13 people is 13 too many, but we lost 13 people. In other wars, you lost hundreds of thousands of people. So people don't like it when you say, "Oh, do you know you've lost 13 people?" I've lost 13 people. They lost 13 people leaving an airport. Obama lost 13 very good people then that I got to know their families. So what we've done is amazing. We have them decimated. Iran is decimated. You're going to see things that are amazing. You're going to see a lot of amazing things over the next three years for our country," he said.
Trump's comments come as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that mutual respect in diplomacy is more sustainable than war.
In a post on X, he said, "Iran has consistently honored its commitments and explored every avenue to avert war; all paths remain open from our side. Forcing Iran to surrender through coercion is nothing but an illusion. Mutual respect in diplomacy is far wiser, safer, and more sustainable than war."
— ANI
Reader Comments
Trump claiming he can be Israel's PM and complimenting Netanyahu while threatening Iran—it's a unique blend of strategic chaos and personal ego. But the casualty figures he throws out as though 13 is nothing compared to other wars... that misses the point entirely. Every life matters, regardless of scale.
This is not how diplomacy works. India has historically maintained a balanced approach with Iran (Chabahar port, energy ties) while keeping good relations with the US and Israel. Trump's bombastic style makes me appreciate India's quiet, consistent foreign policy even more. We don't need to threaten anyone to get deals done.
The way Trump casually brags about "decimating" Iran and losing "only" 13 soldiers is troubling. He compares it to Vietnam and WWII as though military outcomes are a scoreboard. Iranian President Pezeshkian's response is far more statesmanlike—mutual respect isn't an illusion, it's the foundation of lasting peace.
Trump saying "we'll do some nasty things" is just hot air. Iran has survived decades of sanctions and pressure. If the US really wants a deal, they should negotiate seriously instead of making threats. India has shown that engagement works better than intimidation—look at our ties with Iran despite US pressure.
There's a reason India stays out of such confrontational rhetoric. The "you've lost 13, not hundreds of thousands" argument is tone-deaf and dehumanizing. I'm old enough to remember when diplomatic language actually sounded diplomatic. This entire press conference reads like a reality show transcript.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.