Trump warns Iran of ‘nuclear holocaust’ during bizarre rant on peace deal

President Donald Trump has warned Iran of a “nuclear holocaust” unless it reaches an agreement with the US, just hours after claiming credit for brokering a Middle East ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon

President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with a “nuclear holocaust” unless it strikes a deal with the US, mere hours after boasting about peace.

Speaking to reporters before climbing aboard Marine One bound for Las Vegas, the President declared the US is “very close to making a deal with Iran” before outlining what he termed the advantages of such an arrangement.

“If that happens, oil goes way down, prices go way down, inflation goes way down, and much more importantly, you won’t have a nuclear holocaust,” Trump stated.

Israel and Lebanon have allegedly agreed a ceasefire deal after weeks of mutual strikes and an Israeli bombardment campaign that has killed more than 2,100 people in the Middle Eastern country that borders Israel to the north.

Trump disclosed the precise moment the 10-day ceasefire would commence, posting a message hours beforehand on Truth Social and claiming responsibility for negotiating the agreement.

“I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel,” Trump wrote. “These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST.

“On Tuesday, the two Countries met for the first time in 34 years here in Washington, D.C., with our Great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio,” he continued. “I have directed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Razin’ Caine, to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a Lasting PEACE.

“It has been my Honor to solve 9 Wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let’s, GET IT DONE! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he added.

A ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon could carry major ramifications for any prospective peace agreement between the US and Iran. Tehran made clear during the initial, failed peace talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan that a ceasefire in Lebanon was an essential prerequisite, without which Iran would reject any American demands.

Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, told his Lebanese counterpart, Nabih Berri, that Tehran is pushing for a permanent ceasefire “in all conflict zones.” He added that a ceasefire in Lebanon is “just as important” as in Iran. Trump extends invitation to Israeli and Lebanese leaders for White House peace negotiations Trump offered invitations to the leaders of both Israel and Lebanon to take part in direct peace discussions at the White House, posting an additional statement on his Truth Social platform. “In addition to the statement just issued, I will be inviting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, to the White House for the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983, a very long time ago,” he wrote. “Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

However, the most recent significant negotiations between the two nations were actually held in 1993, not 1983 as Trump stated. It remains unclear whether this was a typographical error or a deliberate reference to the era of Ronald Reagan’s administration.

Aoun rejects direct talks with Netanyahu

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun turned down direct negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. The reported remarks were made during a telephone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with Aoun maintaining that Washington “understands Lebanon’s position.” Aoun’s office confirmed that a discussion with Rubio had taken place, yet made no mention of any potential meetings with Netanyahu. Netanyahu’s office similarly remained silent on the matter. Lebanon and Israel conducted their first direct diplomatic discussions in decades on Tuesday in Washington, after more than a month of clashes between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon has demanded that a ceasefire must be established to halt the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah before any direct negotiations can commence, while pledging to commit to disarming the organisation. Washington has yet to publicly declare its backing for a ceasefire as a precondition, while the Israeli government has described the discussions as peace negotiations focused on the disarmament of Hezbollah.

Israel and Hezbollah continued to trade fire across the frontier, with Hezbollah launching rockets and drones at settlements in northern Israel. Israeli bombardments on southern Lebanon escalated, particularly around the cities of Tyre, Nabatieh and the strategically important town of Bint Jbeil, located near the Israeli border.

Israel and Lebanon have technically remained in a state of war since Israel’s creation in 1948, with Lebanon staying deeply divided over any form of diplomatic engagement with Israel.

Israeli forces have advanced further into southern Lebanon in a bid to create what officials have termed a “security zone,” which Netanyahu has declared will stretch at least 5 to 6 miles into Lebanese territory.