US President Donald Trump reaffirmed his deep skepticism of Iranian leadership on Tuesday while insisting that the United States remains in a highly advantageous position against Tehran.
"Iran is going fine, going just absolutely fine," Trump remarked to reporters on the tarmac following an official trip to Ohio.
Underscoring his distrust, Trump stated, “I'm the last person to trust Iran. They've lied to me constantly. We have total control over the Hormuz Strait right now. They don't have control. We have total control. We own it. And at some point, maybe they'll do something, and then they get blown away."
He continued, "But we right now, we're in a very good position. We have a country that has been the bully of the Middle East for 50 years. It's been saying 47 for four years. And they're no longer the bully of the Middle East."
Reporters pressed Trump regarding a report published Monday by The Washington Post detailing a clandestine security maneuver implemented during his departure from Turkey last month. The report revealed that Trump was secretly transferred to an alternate military plane while official White House communications stated he was traveling on Air Force One to shield him from an Iranian threat.
"Well, it's only up to Secret Service. I just follow what they'd like to do, so I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, a different plane ... but they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say, Trump explained.
“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn't really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats. I have a lot of threats that you don't know about," he added.
These comments follow questions posed to the President a day earlier concerning his previous warnings that ongoing diplomatic talks represented Tehran's final opportunity before "decapitation." When asked what comes next, Trump replied: “You’ll find out."
Pressed on whether a major military escalation remains under consideration, Trump added, “Well, we certainly have that ability if we want to do that. You’ll find out."
Additionally, Trump reiterated his refusal to entertain Iranian demands for compensation - a topic he previously addressed in a Truth Social post - arguing that financial accountability rests on Tehran instead.
“They ask for reparations, you might say, or they ask for money for the damage that we've done. And I said, that's a good idea. Well, we're going to ask for money for the damage they've done over a 50-year period, whether you go USS Cole or whether you go [to] all of the people that were so badly hurt, so badly wounded or killed - many thousands of people. And maybe damages for the 52,000 protesters over the last four months that were killed in Iran. It was at least 52,000 a month and a half ago. So now what is it? If there are damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages."