‘Whether I make him happy or not...’: Trump clashes with Pope Leo over Iran nuclear remarks

Washington DC: A fresh disagreement has emerged between the White House and the Vatican after US President Donald Trump accused Pope Leo of appearing to support Iran’s ability to possess nuclear weapons.

The remarks came during a media interaction at the White House on Wednesday, when Trump was asked about US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meeting the Pope at the Vatican.

Responding to a reporter’s question, Trump said his message regarding Iran remained “very simple”.

“Whether I make him happy or I don’t make him happy, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.

The US President then suggested that the Pope appeared to hold a softer position on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

“And he seemed to be saying that they can. And I say they cannot,” Trump added.

Trump warned that allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons would pose a serious global threat.

“Because if that happened, the entire world would be hostage, and we’re not going to let that happen,” he said.

The exchange happened during an appearance that initially focused on a planned UFC event at the White House next month. Trump was joined by fighters including Justin Gaethje, Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane.

However, the discussion quickly shifted toward foreign policy and the ongoing tensions involving Iran.

Trump claimed Iran was eager to reach an agreement with Washington and said recent talks had shown progress.

“They want to make a deal badly,” Trump said, while again stressing that Iran “cannot have nuclear weapons”.

The President also claimed Iran’s military capabilities had been severely weakened during the conflict.

“They had a Navy with 159 ships, and now every ship is blown to pieces and lying at the bottom of the water,” he said.

Trump further claimed Iran’s air force had been destroyed and argued that the country would need decades to rebuild even if fighting stopped immediately.

“If we left right now, Iran, it would take them 20 years to rebuild,” he said.

Trump did not elaborate further on the Vatican disagreement and concluded by repeating that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remained his administration’s main priority.
(With IANS inputs)