US President Donald Trump has sharply criticised Iran, calling it a “Failed Nation” and claiming that the country is facing severe economic, military and political turmoil.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Iran is officially a Failed Nation. IT IS DEAD!”
Trump claimed that Iran has lost key military and economic capabilities, alleging that the country has “no Navy” and “no Air Force” and that its currency has collapsed.
Trump claims Iran facing economic turmoil
The US president also claimed that Iran is struggling to pay its soldiers and police and alleged that inflation in the country has reached 300%.
Trump said Iran’s leadership was in “total disarray” and accused it of being incapable of properly representing the country.
His remarks come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran and growing concerns over Iran’s economic conditions.
Trump attacks Iran over protests
Trump also targeted the Iranian leadership over its response to protesters.
He alleged that Iranian authorities had killed protesters on a large scale, claiming that “over 100,000 people” had died. He accused Iran’s leadership of committing acts that, in his view, should lead to war-crimes prosecutions.
Trump further criticised what he described as “FAKE NEWS from the USA” and accused Iran of using rhetoric rather than addressing the country’s problems.
Sharp rhetoric amid US-Iran tensions
The comments represent another escalation in Trump’s public rhetoric against Tehran. His post portrayed Iran as facing simultaneous military, economic and political crises.
Trump ended his message with a blunt criticism of the Iranian leadership, writing that its response amounted to a good line of “BULLSHIT.”
Trump threatens Iran with ‘hard’ response after US-Iran strikes; Tehran calls for dialogue
Trump earlier threatened to respond forcefully after the United States and Iran exchanged fire for the first time in weeks, raising concerns that months of relative calm could give way to renewed hostilities.
“We’re going to hit them hard,” Trump said, according to a Fox News reporter who spoke to him briefly. “There will be a response.”
The exchange came as Washington continued its campaign to pressure Tehran economically, while Iran maintained its blockade of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
US strikes Iranian rocket launchers
The United States said it carried out strikes on Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. Washington said the operation was intended to prevent Iran from deploying mines in the crucial shipping lane.
Iranian state media reported that three people were killed and several others wounded in the US strikes.
Tehran subsequently launched missile and drone attacks against US military targets in the region. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its ballistic missile attack on two US bases in Jordan caused “heavy damage”.
Trump, however, said US forces had intercepted all but one of the missiles fired at American targets, adding that the remaining missile was deemed not to pose a threat.
Jordan’s military said it had intercepted eight missiles, without identifying their origin.
Iran also claimed to have targeted US personnel at an air base in the UAE and said it had shot down an American drone over the Strait of Hormuz.
The UAE confirmed that a drone had been intercepted over its waters but rejected claims that Al Minhad Air Base had been targeted as “baseless”.
Pezeshkian urges dialogue
While the military confrontation escalated, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for diplomacy.
“We continue to strive for a path of agreement and understanding, and we believe that continuing the war is neither in our interest, nor in the interest of the region,” Pezeshkian said at a summit in Kyrgyzstan.
“The solution to the existing problems is dialogue and cooperation,” he added.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also called on Washington to return to its previous commitments.
“The solution is completely clear and straightforward: the United States must return to its commitments,” Araghchi told Iranian state television.
US doubles down on economic pressure
The latest military exchange followed weeks of relative calm during which the Trump administration increasingly focused on economic pressure against Tehran.
Earlier on Monday, Trump described Iran as a “Failed Nation”, claiming its military had been weakened, its economy was crumbling and its leadership was in disarray.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would continue applying economic pressure.
“We are going to continue exerting pressure,” Bessent told reporters at a G20 meeting in North Carolina, adding that a potential turning point in the campaign could come “within weeks or months”.
Strait of Hormuz remains flashpoint
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of the confrontation. Before the war, roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passed through the strategic waterway.
Iran has kept traffic through the strait severely restricted, while the US has maintained a naval counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump has claimed that the US Navy has “total control” of the waterway, while Iran continues to insist that it controls the sea lane.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards said on Monday that an oil tanker had caught fire near the strait after allegedly striking two mines while attempting to use an “illegal route”. The US military rejected the claim as “disinformation”, saying no ships had hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest escalation has renewed fears of a broader regional conflict, even as international mediators continue efforts to revive negotiations.
A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the latest exchange of fire “very regrettable” and urged the two sides to return to diplomacy.
