US President Donald Trump on Sunday issued another threat to Iran, accusing it of “playing games” and laughing at America for decades, without commenting directly on reports of Tehran’s response to Washington’s
latest peace proposal.
“Iran has been playing games with the United States, and the rest of the World, for 47 years (DELAY, DELAY, DELAY!), and then finally hit “pay dirt” when Barack Hussein Obama became President,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Trump used the moment to further mock his predecessor, saying he was “great” with Iran and sidelined Israel and all other allies, while offering hundreds of billions of dollars to Tehran “on a silver platter.”
“For 47 years the Iranians have been “tapping” us along, keeping us waiting, killing our people with their roadside bombs, destroying protests, and recently wiping out 42,000 innocent, unarmed protestors, and laughing at our now GREAT AGAIN Country. They will be laughing no longer!” he said.
Iran Responds To US Proposal
His remarks came after Iran sent its response to a US proposal for peace talks to end the war, Iranian state media reported on Sunday. The response focused on ending the war on all fronts, especially Lebanon, and on the safety of shipping through the strait, Iranian state TV said, without indicating how or when the Strait of Hormuz might reopen.
Despite a month-old ceasefire in the conflict and after some 48 hours of relative calm, hostile drones were detected over several Gulf countries on Sunday, underlining the threat still facing the region. However, two vessels passed safely through the strait, including an LNG carrier.
Tehran has largely blocked non-Iranian shipping through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world’s oil supply and has emerged as one of the central pressure points in the war. The US also kept up pressure on Iran by enforcing a naval blockade around Iranian ports.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war was not over because there was “more work to be done” to remove enriched uranium from Iran, dismantle enrichment sites and address Iran’s proxies and ballistic missile capabilities.
Moreover, the UK and France are leading efforts to create an international coalition to secure the strait after a peace deal is secured, with both countries sending vessels to the region in advance. However, Iran warned of “a decisive and immediate response” prompting French President Emmanuel Macron to insist that it was just a security mission.
(with inputs from agencies)
