Trump warns Iran of fresh strikes, says Hamas faces ‘hell to pay’ if it fails to disarm after meeting Netanyahu
U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran of potential new military strikes and said Hamas would have “hell to pay” if it fails to disarm in Gaza, escalating rhetoric after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida.
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Speaking alongside Netanyahu at a news conference, Trump threatened to “eradicate” any effort by Tehran to rebuild its nuclear program or ballistic missile arsenal following what he described as U.S. and Israeli strikes earlier this year. He added the U.S. response to any renewed Iranian activities “may be more powerful than last time,” while asserting he believes Iran remains interested in a deal with Washington on its nuclear and missile programs.
Tehran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons. A senior Iranian official signaled defiance after Trump’s remarks. “Iran’s #Missile_Capability and defense are not containable or permission-based. Any aggression will face an immediate #Harsh_Response beyond its planners’ imagination,” Ali Shamkhani, a top political adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, wrote on X.
Trump also pressed Hamas to give up its weapons under the terms he said were envisioned in the fragile Gaza ceasefire. “If they don’t disarm as they agreed to do, then there will be hell to pay for them,” he told reporters. “They have to disarm in a fairly short period of time.” Hamas’s armed wing reiterated earlier that it would not surrender its weapons.
Downplaying reports of friction with Netanyahu over the next phase of the Gaza truce, Trump said Israel had “lived up” to its commitments and placed the onus on Hamas. While some White House officials fear Netanyahu is slow-walking the process, Trump said he had “very little difference” with the Israeli leader and was “not concerned about anything that Israel’s doing.”
Netanyahu called the Florida meeting “very productive” and announced that Israel would award Trump its highest civilian honor, marking the first time it has gone to a non-Israeli citizen.
Trump, who has styled himself as a “president of peace,” said he is eager to move to the next phase of the Gaza truce, which he said would involve installing a Palestinian technocratic government and deploying an international stabilization force to support security on the ground. He offered no timeline for when that phase might begin.
The remarks underscore the delicate balancing act in the region: U.S. and Israeli pressure on Iran over its nuclear and missile activities, the unresolved demand that Hamas disarm as part of the ceasefire framework, and persistent concerns inside Washington about the pace of Israeli decision-making. For now, Trump’s message was blunt on both fronts—deterrence for Tehran and an ultimatum for Hamas—while projecting unity with Netanyahu amid questions about the ceasefire’s second stage.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
