Video Trump threatens 'obliteration,' Iran calls White House 'mentally retarded'

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Trump threatens 'obliteration,' Iran calls White House 'mentally retarded'

 

 

WASHINGTON/DUBAI (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to obliterate parts of Iran if it attacked “anything American,” in a new war of words with Iran which condemned fresh U.S. sanctions on Tehran as “mentally retarded.”

 

But Trump later left the door open for talks, saying that Iran should speak to the United States “peaceably” to ease tensions and potentially lift U.S. economic sanctions.

 

The U.S. president on Monday signed an executive order imposing additional, largely symbolic, sanctions against Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, with punitive measures against Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expected later this week.

 

Iran shot down a U.S. drone last week and Trump said he had called off a retaliatory air strike with minutes to spare, saying too many people would have been killed. It would have been the first time the United States had bombed the Islamic Republic in four decades of mutual hostility.

 

In rhetoric similar to the kind of harsh words he used to aim at North Korea, Trump tweeted: “Any attack by Iran on anything American will be met with great and overwhelming force. In some areas, overwhelming will mean obliteration.”

 

In a televised address on Tuesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the new sanctions against Khamenei would have no practical impact because the top cleric had no assets abroad.

 

Rouhani, a pragmatist who won two elections on promises to open Iran up to the world, said the White House’s actions were “mentally retarded” - an insult that other Iranian officials have used in the past about Trump, but a departure from Rouhani’s own comparatively measured tone over the years.

 

“Tehran’s strategic patience does not mean we have fear,” said Rouhani, who with his cabinet runs Iran’s day-to-day affairs while Khamenei, in power since 1989, is the country’s ultimate authority.

 

But Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, said Iran would let the United States know what it wanted to do, including negotiate.

 

“Whatever they want to do, I’m ready,” Trump said.

 

“Their country is not doing well economically at all. That could be changed very quickly, very easily,” Trump said. “But they have to get rid of the hostility from the leadership. The leadership – I hope they stay, I hope they do a great job - but they should talk to us peaceably.”

 

 

ESCALATING U.S. SANCTIONS

 

The United States has imposed crippling financial sanctions against Iran since last year when Trump withdrew from a 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers under which Iran curbed its nuclear program.

 

Tension has escalated sharply since last month when the Trump administration tightened its sanctions noose, ordering all countries to halt purchases of Iranian oil.

 

That has effectively starved the Iranian economy of the main source of revenue Tehran uses to import food for its 81 million people, and left the pragmatic wing of Iran’s leadership, led by Rouhani, with no benefits to show for its nuclear agreement.

 

Trump says the accord reached under his predecessor Barack Obama was a failure because its terms were not permanent and did not cover security issues beyond the nuclear program, such as missiles and role in various Middle East conflicts.

 

The downing of the U.S. drone - which Iran says was over its air space and the United States says was in international skies - followed weeks of rising tensions that had begun to take on a military dimension.

 

Trump’s hawkish national security adviser, John Bolton, visiting Israel, repeated earlier offers to hold talks, as long as Iran was willing to go beyond the terms of the 2015 deal.

 

“The president has held the door open to real negotiations to completely and verifiably eliminate Iran’s nuclear weapons program, its pursuit of ballistic missile delivery systems, its support for international terrorism and other malign behavior worldwide,” Bolton said in Jerusalem. “All that Iran needs to do is to walk through that open door.”

 

Iran says there is no point negotiating with Washington when it has abandoned a deal that was already reached.

 

Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said imposing “useless sanctions” on Khamenei and Zarif would mark “the permanent closure of the path of diplomacy.”

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the situation surrounding Iran was developing toward a dangerous scenario, the RIA news agency reported on Tuesday.

 

The United States and some regional allies have blamed Iran for explosions that damaged tankers in the Gulf, which Tehran denies. Washington’s European allies have repeatedly warned both sides of the danger that a small mistake could lead to war.

 

Tehran has given European signatories until July 8 to find a way to shield its economy from U.S. sanctions, or else it will enrich uranium to higher levels banned under the deal to help ensure no development of a nuclear weapon results.

 

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he hoped to recruit support from NATO allies in Brussels this week for U.S. efforts to deter conflict with Iran and “open the door to diplomacy,” as he made his first trip as Pentagon chief.

 

Additional reporting by Tim Ahmann and Makini Brice in Washington, John Irish in Paris, Tom Miles and Babak Dehghanpisheh in Geneva, Dan Williams in Jerusalem and Andrey Kuzmin in Moscow; Writing by Kevin Liffey and David Lawder; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Alistair Bell

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-06-26

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[Bluespunk]

23 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Iran calls White House 'mentally retarded'

That’s a bit harsh on the building. 

 

It has no control over the mental attributes of it’s current occupant. 

[ballpoint]

I've seen this movie before.  This will be the start of a beautiful relationship.  Trump and Khammy.

[Bluespunk]

25 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

In rhetoric similar to the kind of harsh words he used to aim at North Korea, Trump tweeted: “Any attack by Iran on anything American will be met with great and overwhelming force. In some areas, overwhelming will mean obliteration.”

 

They’ve already shot down one of your drones...

[soalbundy]

Iran is a bit late on that one, everybody else knows he's mentally retarded, except for the baying mob of his supporters and they are in the same condition as him.

[sanemax]

Well done to Trump for not retaliating for the drone being shot down , but if the drone was in Iranian airspace , Iran had every right to shoot it down and the USA cannot complain 

[Bluespunk]

29 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Trump says the accord reached under his predecessor Barack Obama was a failure because its terms were not permanent and did not cover security issues beyond the nuclear program, such as missiles and role in various Middle East conflicts.

 

Whereas your inept and incompetent actions in abandoning the deal in place, with nothing to replace it, and the unilateral imposition of sanctions has been a stellar success. 

[Lungstib]

 

30 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

In some areas, overwhelming will mean obliteration.”

  This is supposed to be a US President backed by Evangelical Christians. Where is the anger at the proposal to obliterate a country? Remember the 10 commandments (not recommendations), though shalt not kill. What happened to the anti-abortion pro-lifers? These peoples lives are not included?

 

31 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

The leadership – I hope they stay, I hope they do a great job - but they should talk to us peaceably.”

 They should talk to us peaceable but I can talk death and destruction. This is what passes for politics in the US? Threats and bluster. Childish and irresponsible. 

[xylophone]

1 minute ago, Lungstib said:

This is supposed to be a US President backed by Evangelical Christians.

Well, so far these Evangelical Christians, have overlooked the fact that he is a compulsive liar, has committed adultery on one if not numerous occasions, has robbed contractors of monies owed to them by declaring bankruptcy (fraud?) and is a misogynist and a racist..........how easily they can put their faith and beliefs aside to support a buffoon such as Trump.

[habanero]

Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Period. It has held that dubious distinction for many years now and shows no sign of relinquishing the title.

To the contrary, the regime in Tehran continues to provide hundreds of millions of dollars every year to terrorists across the world. It does this, despite ongoing economic turmoil that’s impoverishing many of its people. The beneficiaries of this misbegotten largesse range from Hezbollah in Lebanon, to Hamas in Gaza, to violent rejectionist groups in the West Bank, to the Houthis in Yemen, to hostile militias in Iraq and Syria.

So you all keep knocking what President Trump is trying to do. The big picture is not just to keep Iran from acquiring nukes. It is to basically break them of the ability to sponsor these terrorist programs.

 Let me give you some numbers. This may sound hard to believe, but Iran provides Hizballah alone some $700 million a year. It gives another $100 million to various Palestinian terrorist groups. When you throw in the money provided to other terrorists, the total comes close to one billion dollars.

 And who ultimately pays the price of this support? The Iranian people. The resources Iran uses to fund its global terrorist campaign come directly out of the pockets of ordinary Iranians. The regime robs its own citizens to pay its proxies abroad. This is not the behavior of a normal government. This is the behavior of a lawless regime that uses terrorism as a basic tool of statecraft.

[userabcd]

Strange that the US has not provided detailed tracking and coordinates of the location of their drone when it was rendered inoperable, perhaps they are busy manipulating the evidence.

 

The tone and language of the US regime is definitely threatening and one wonders why the UN and security council are silent on this.

[sammieuk1]

Where's that bloke to say "Lets Get Ready To Rumble"????

[Tug]

Habanero I for one and I venture most others agree with you what we deplore is Donald’s inept incompetent ways of dealing with this issue rember we had a working agreement that Iran was abiding by now what do we have?

[bristolboy]

42 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Well done to Trump for not retaliating for the drone being shot down , but if the drone was in Iranian airspace , Iran had every right to shoot it down and the USA cannot complain 

And not just not retaliating, but thanking Iran for doing it. Now that takes guts.

[bristolboy]

18 minutes ago, habanero said:

Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Period. It has held that dubious distinction for many years now and shows no sign of relinquishing the title.

To the contrary, the regime in Tehran continues to provide hundreds of millions of dollars every year to terrorists across the world. It does this, despite ongoing economic turmoil that’s impoverishing many of its people. The beneficiaries of this misbegotten largesse range from Hezbollah in Lebanon, to Hamas in Gaza, to violent rejectionist groups in the West Bank, to the Houthis in Yemen, to hostile militias in Iraq and Syria.

So you all keep knocking what President Trump is trying to do. The big picture is not just to keep Iran from acquiring nukes. It is to basically break them of the ability to sponsor these terrorist programs.

 Let me give you some numbers. This may sound hard to believe, but Iran provides Hizballah alone some $700 million a year. It gives another $100 million to various Palestinian terrorist groups. When you throw in the money provided to other terrorists, the total comes close to one billion dollars.

 And who ultimately pays the price of this support? The Iranian people. The resources Iran uses to fund its global terrorist campaign come directly out of the pockets of ordinary Iranians. The regime robs its own citizens to pay its proxies abroad. This is not the behavior of a normal government. This is the behavior of a lawless regime that uses terrorism as a basic tool of statecraft.

Yet oddly, most deaths from terrorists are caused by Sunni extremists who hate Shias. Odd, that.

 

And Saudi Arabis, the UAE, and Qatar funded Salafi militias in Syria. Is that also the behavior of lawless regimes that use terrorism as a basic tool of statecraft.

[spidermike007]

Threatening obliteration is something Trump has been doing his whole career. When I was working in commercial real estate in NYC in the 1980's, he would use that tactic when negotiating a deal on a small apartment building, which he was buying to assemble a block for a tower of his. Nothing has changed. The man has not matured one month, since he was 13. He is still an adolescent, except he looks about 79. Sure, it was effective with a small guy, who had one building to his name. But, with Iran it is the wrong approach. 

 

What this rather simple man does not get, is that the US is a rather young nation, with limited history. Iran has a history that dates back to 7000 BC. They have withstood so many onslaughts, lived in such states of deprivation, and survived. If you denied America Netflix for a week, the empire would collapse. If you denied America corn flakes for a week, there would be anarchy. He just has no perspective, and neither does Blindfold Bolton, and Pompeo. They think Iran would be far easier than Iraq. That is where they are wrong. It could be a 30 year war, costing 10 trillion US. It could end up with countless terror incidents on US soil, the Iranian cyber guys could cripple Pentagon satellites, and the electric grid in the US, and the extent to which they are underestimating Iran as an adversary, is incalculable. Dumb and dumber is all I can say. Grow up Don. Learn something. Read something. Develop as a human being. You have all kinds of room for improvement. You are a rather unimpressive man, considering what you have done with the fortune you were given. 

 

Iran is home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 7000 BC. The south-western and western part of the Iranian plateau participated in the traditional Ancient Near East with Elam, from the Early Bronze Age, and later with various other peoples, such as the Kassites, Mannaeans and Gutians. 

[habanero]

7 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Iran is home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations

Wouldn't this comment imply that Iran is civilized? I think not!

[monkeycu]

4 minutes ago, habanero said:

Wouldn't this comment imply that Iran is civilized? I think not!

Is Trump playing with a full deck would be a better question

[ballpoint]

6 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Iran is home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 7000 BC.

But that's older than many Trump supporters think the world is!

[ballpoint]

6 minutes ago, habanero said:

Wouldn't this comment imply that Iran is civilized? I think not!

I suggest you look up the difference between a civilisation and being civilised.  They are not one and the same.  For example, Western civilisation has many uncivilised products, including the current White House occupant.

 

 

[carbine1125]

46 minutes ago, habanero said:

Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Period. It has held that dubious distinction for many years now and shows no sign of relinquishing the title.

To the contrary, the regime in Tehran continues to provide hundreds of millions of dollars every year to terrorists across the world. It does this, despite ongoing economic turmoil that’s impoverishing many of its people. The beneficiaries of this misbegotten largesse range from Hezbollah in Lebanon, to Hamas in Gaza, to violent rejectionist groups in the West Bank, to the Houthis in Yemen, to hostile militias in Iraq and Syria.

So you all keep knocking what President Trump is trying to do. The big picture is not just to keep Iran from acquiring nukes. It is to basically break them of the ability to sponsor these terrorist programs.

 Let me give you some numbers. This may sound hard to believe, but Iran provides Hizballah alone some $700 million a year. It gives another $100 million to various Palestinian terrorist groups. When you throw in the money provided to other terrorists, the total comes close to one billion dollars.

 And who ultimately pays the price of this support? The Iranian people. The resources Iran uses to fund its global terrorist campaign come directly out of the pockets of ordinary Iranians. The regime robs its own citizens to pay its proxies abroad. This is not the behavior of a normal government. This is the behavior of a lawless regime that uses terrorism as a basic tool of statecraft.

I think most normal people recognise that it's America who is now the leading state sponsor of terrorism. Arming and training the likes of Israel and Saudi Arabia who are carrying out mass genocide with Americas blessing. At the same time bullying sensible nations who don't see the world through Americas eyes.

[Rimmer]

An off topic troll post has been removed

[Emdog]

Let's stop saying Trump is retarded. It is an insult to retarded people.

[Paul Henry]

POTUS called off the air strikes after his mate Vald called him and told him the Russians had a fix on the drone and it was in Iran air space and his country supported the Ayatolla so stop or Russian businessmen would call in the cash loans that are outstanding

[jany123]

5 hours ago, sanemax said:

Well done to Trump for not retaliating for the drone being shot down , but if the drone was in Iranian airspace , Iran had every right to shoot it down and the USA cannot complain 

So... in the event that the potus of 11000 lies plus plus, is once again lying, then not “well done to trump for not retaliating”... but instead perhaps a “what the hell were you thinking, escalating tensions with a deliberate drone incursion into enemy controlled air space”?

[chilli42]

That The Donald is mentally retarded. Hard to argue with him on that point.

[Morch]

6 hours ago, userabcd said:

Strange that the US has not provided detailed tracking and coordinates of the location of their drone when it was rendered inoperable, perhaps they are busy manipulating the evidence.

 

The tone and language of the US regime is definitely threatening and one wonders why the UN and security council are silent on this.

 

Did Iran provide any such "detailed tracking and coordinates" that could be verified?

[Morch]

6 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Threatening obliteration is something Trump has been doing his whole career. When I was working in commercial real estate in NYC in the 1980's, he would use that tactic when negotiating a deal on a small apartment building, which he was buying to assemble a block for a tower of his. Nothing has changed. The man has not matured one month, since he was 13. He is still an adolescent, except he looks about 79. Sure, it was effective with a small guy, who had one building to his name. But, with Iran it is the wrong approach. 

 

What this rather simple man does not get, is that the US is a rather young nation, with limited history. Iran has a history that dates back to 7000 BC. They have withstood so many onslaughts, lived in such states of deprivation, and survived. If you denied America Netflix for a week, the empire would collapse. If you denied America corn flakes for a week, there would be anarchy. He just has no perspective, and neither does Blindfold Bolton, and Pompeo. They think Iran would be far easier than Iraq. That is where they are wrong. It could be a 30 year war, costing 10 trillion US. It could end up with countless terror incidents on US soil, the Iranian cyber guys could cripple Pentagon satellites, and the electric grid in the US, and the extent to which they are underestimating Iran as an adversary, is incalculable. Dumb and dumber is all I can say. Grow up Don. Learn something. Read something. Develop as a human being. You have all kinds of room for improvement. You are a rather unimpressive man, considering what you have done with the fortune you were given.  

 

Iran is home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 7000 BC. The south-western and western part of the Iranian plateau participated in the traditional Ancient Near East with Elam, from the Early Bronze Age, and later with various other peoples, such as the Kassites, Mannaeans and Gutians. 

 

In your informed view, is the Islamic regime of Iran in the habit of highlighting and glorifying the nation's past? (As in including the parts preceding the ascent of Islam). Sounds like more of a talking point. I think the regime's focus in this regard is more to do with revisionism, but could be wrong.

 

And as much as you tout Iran and Iranians' resilience to hardship, it reads more like an armchair view, and a politically motivated one at that. Here, you're welcome to ignore it again:

 

Iranians say their ‘bones breaking’ under US sanctions

https://www.apnews.com/9390faa746294f628b93beea57ba1e07

 

Personally, I find it sickening that some have no issues with opining how others, less-well-to-do, and half across the globe, ought to face hardship in order to fulfill posters' political fantasies.

 

The USA would not collapse without Netflix, or even cornflakes. That's just your usual over-the-top baseless nonsense fare. But by all means, do go on about Trump having "no perspective".

 

I wouldn't know that Iran would be "easier than Iraq" (in what way?) or that "they" think that. Claiming a 30 year war etc., now that's quite a statement. Backed up by anything much? Doubt it.

 

And then we get the usual trademark scaremongering. Give it a rest. Iran isn't a superpower. It can do some damage, but lets not get carried away. Wouldn't know that anyone's underestimating Iran - and no support for such if offered, naturally - but I am sure, you're hyping Iran's capabilities.

[Morch]

1 hour ago, Paul Henry said:

POTUS called off the air strikes after his mate Vald called him and told him the Russians had a fix on the drone and it was in Iran air space and his country supported the Ayatolla so stop or Russian businessmen would call in the cash loans that are outstanding

 

Source for that gem?

[Srikcir]

8 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

followed weeks of rising tensions that had begun to take on a military dimension.

Rising tensions exacerbated by the U.S.

https://news.yahoo.com/iran-shot-down-176-million-223144549.html

• Iranian Brigadier General Rahimzadeh said that Iran had sent the U.S. “several warning” before downing the drone, according to Iran’s semi-official news agency, Tasnim.
• Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace division, said that a American Boeing P-8 Poseidon surveillance plane was in Iranian airspace at the same time as the drone, but Iran had decided not to shoot it down because Iran authorities did not want casualties, Tasnim reported, according to Reuters.