Donald Trump’s comments at the recent NATO summit have sparked widespread reaction after he revealed surprising details about Iran’s missile strike on a U.S. base.
Speaking in The Hague during the annual NATO gathering, Trump addressed the escalating conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran. Just days earlier, the U.S. had launched airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, prompting a retaliatory strike from Iran targeting a U.S. base in Qatar.
But according to Trump, Iran actually gave him advance notice of the attack.
“They were very nice. They gave us warning,” he said. “They said, ‘We’re going to shoot them. Is 1 o’clock okay?’ I said, ‘It’s fine.’”
He went on to claim that the base was evacuated ahead of time—except for the gunners—and that all 14 missiles were intercepted.
“Out of 14 high-end missiles that were shot at the base in Qatar, all 14 were shot down by our equipment. Amazing stuff,” he added.
The bizarre nature of the exchange has triggered a wave of disbelief and skepticism online, with many people echoing the same reaction: confusion and concern. Social media users questioned the legitimacy of such a cordial warning from Iran, while others expressed unease about Trump’s casual tone regarding a serious military escalation.
Trump said that Iran gave them a heads up about the Qatar air strike (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Trump went on: “It’s like shooting a bullet with a bullet. It’s the same thing, if you think about it. 14 out of 14 and they weren’t even that surprised. I said ‘Do you do that well often?’ and they said ‘We pretty much do, sir.'”
A video of Trump making said remarks has been shared online, and it’s left people feeling a type of way.
One person replied to the post in a comment that’s been liked almost 300 times, writing: “I’ve never seen a world leader, so eager to blab his mouth and reveal everything that is told to him.”
“God it’s like nails on a chalkboard,” added a third in regards to the president’s ramblings.
Others raised questions about why Trump said it was ‘fine’ for Iran to attack the Qatar base.
Somebody said: “‘It’s fine’ as in go ahead and attack a US base?”
Another added: “And if a missile had gotten through and killed members of our military would that have been ‘fine’ too???”
Trump visited the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, in May (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump has notably been pretty public with his thoughts, taking to his platform Truth Social to inform the world of what he thinks of pretty much everything, from his approval ratings to giving direct messages to Israel.
Since Trump made these latest comments, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has broken his silence and hit out at the ‘US regime’.
“My congratulations on our dear Iran’s victory over the US regime,” he penned on Twitter yesterday.
“The US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. It entered the war in an effort to save that regime but achieved nothing.”
Khamenei added in a follow-up tweet: “The Islamic Republic delivered a heavy slap to the US’s face. It attacked and inflicted damage on the Al-Udeid Air Base, which is one of the key US bases in the region.”
