President Trump is “an idiot,” and that’s cause for optimism, according to the leader of one of the world’s major terrorist organizations.
“We are very optimistic that when an idiot settles in the White House and boasts about his idiocy, this is the beginning of relief for the oppressed around the world,” Helzbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Sunday, per the Associated Press.
Hezbollah receives the vast majority of funding and other support from Iran, making his comments the latest in a war of words between Trump and the radical Shiite regime. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani took a shot at “inexperienced figures” attempting to threaten Iran, which provoked pushback from Trump.
“He better be careful,” Trump said Saturday during a gaggle with reporters on Air Force One.
Trash-talk aside, Trump’s team is taking steps to increase pressure on Iran, such as adding dozens of entities to a sanctions list. Retired Army Gen. Mike Flynn, Trump’s new national security adviser, announced that Iran was “on notice” last week after the regime conducted a ballistic missile test.
Congressional leaders in both parties want Trump to take further steps to crack down on Iranian behavior. “I hope that the new administration will slap sanctions on them, and they’ll certainly have my support if they decide to do it,” New York Rep. Eliot Engel, the ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Feb. 1.
