US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran on Sunday (May 10th), saying Tehran will no longer be able to use the United States amid escalating tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and regional security.
“They will laugh no more!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump has accused Iran of deceiving the United States for decades, arguing that Tehran has repeatedly delayed negotiations while benefiting from past U.S. policies.
“Iran has been playing games with the United States and the rest of the world for 47 years (DELAY, DELAY, DELAY!),” Trump wrote.
Trump is reviving criticism of Obama-era Iran policy
Trump also launched a new attack on former President Barack Obama, accusing his administration of strengthening Iran through financial concessions and weakening US allies, including Israel.
“He wasn’t just good to them, he was great, he actually went over to their side, ditched Israel and all the other allies and gave Iran a big, very strong new lease of life,” Trump said.
The president again criticized the Obama administration’s 2016 financial settlement with Iran, citing a $1.7 billion cash transfer tied up in a long-running legal dispute.
“Hundreds of billions of dollars and $1.7 billion in greenbacks transferred to Tehran were handed to them on a silver platter,” Trump said.
Trump further claimed that Iranian officials were stunned by the scale of the cash transfer.
“It was brought out of the plane in suitcases and bags and the Iranians couldn’t believe their luck,” he wrote.
Accusations against Tehran
Trump also accused Iran of supporting attacks against Americans and suppressing protests in the country.
“For 47 years, the Iranians have been ‘stabbing’ us, keeping us waiting, killing our people with their roadside bombs, destroying protests,” Trump said.
He also claimed that Iran had killed “42,000 innocent, unarmed protesters”, although he did not provide evidence for his claim.
Nuclear tensions continue
Trump’s remarks come as tensions remain high between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear activities, maritime security in the Persian Gulf and ongoing ceasefire talks.
The Trump administration has continued to press Iran over its stockpile of enriched uranium while warning that military escalation remains possible if diplomatic efforts collapse.
Tehran presents a response to the US peace plan
Iran has delivered its response to the latest US proposal aimed at ending 10 weeks of conflict in the Middle East, even as new security incidents continue to test the fragile truce in the Persian Gulf region.
Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency confirmed that Tehran had provided its response through diplomatic channels, but did not release details of the response.
The proposal put forward by US President Trump reportedly demanded that Iran allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen and that Washington lift its blockade of Iranian ports within a month.
The plan would effectively require both sides to accept an end to hostilities, although negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program can continue separately.
Netanyahu says the war is not over
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also stressed that the conflict cannot end until Iran’s nuclear capabilities are dismantled.
In an interview with CBS, Netanyahu said more measures are needed against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and uranium stockpile.
“The war is not over yet,” Netanyahu said.
He added that Iran’s highly enriched uranium still needs to be removed and its nuclear capabilities dismantled.
Drone incidents rock truce
Despite a ceasefire that has been in effect since April 8, regional tensions remain high.
A drone strike on Sunday briefly set fire to a cargo vessel off the coast of Qatar in the Persian Gulf, marking the latest attack on commercial shipping lanes.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait reported intercepting enemy drones in their airspace.
Oil markets remain under pressure
The conflict, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has disrupted global energy markets and sent fuel prices soaring.
Brent crude settled near $101 a barrel on Friday, although prices were still down around 6% for the week.
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