The US president warned Iran against rearming.

21:08, Mon, Dec 29, 2025 Updated: 21:36, Mon, Dec 29, 2025

President Trump Meets With Israeli PM Netanyahu At His Palm Beach Estate

Trump (Image: Getty)

Donald Trump has warned Iran that the US will "knock the hell out of them" with a "powerful" strike if they continue efforts to develop nuclear missiles. The president’s comments came just moments before he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.

Despite their meeting focusing on the next phase of their plan in Gaza, Trump set the tone early, speaking about Iran to the press as he welcomed Netanyahu into his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. Speaking to reporters, he claimed that Israel is ready to bomb Iran if it continues its nuclear and missile programme.

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Trump added: “Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we have to knock them down. We'll knock the hell out of them.

“But hopefully that's not happening. I heard Iran wants to make a deal. If they want to make a deal, that's much smarter.

"You know, they could have made a deal the last time, before we did a big attack on them.

"I think, again, they should make a deal. They want to make a deal. But sometimes that doesn't happen."

He went on to praise Israel for being “extremely victorious”, referring to the country's recent conflict in Gaza and Lebanon as well as June’s strikes against Iran.

Israeli officials have recently been voicing concerns about Iran’s missile capabilities, with particular fears that the Middle Eastern nation has restarted its nuclear programme - something that promoted a US attack on Iran’s nuclear enrichment lab over the summer.

Trump has held firm on the Iranian issue, stating categorically that Iran should not be allowed to create a nuclear weapon.

When asked whether the US would back an Israeli attack targeting Iran’s missile programme, Trump said: “If they will continue with the missiles, yes. The nuclear? Fast. OK? One will be: Yes, absolutely. The other is: We’ll do it immediately.”

Returning to the topic of Gaza and the US and Israel's plan to begin rebuilding, Trump added: "I think it's going to begin pretty soon.

"What a mess. What a mess it is. And it's been a mess for centuries. It's been a mess for a long time.”

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