President Donald Trump has shrugged off a dire warning from Iran’s top national-security official.
During a Saturday night phone interview with CBS News, the 79-year-old president showed little concern over threats from Iran’s top national security official, Ali Larijani. The Iranian official warned on social media Saturday that the United States would “pay” after Trump launched his surprise attack on the country in coordination with Israel on Feb. 28.
“We will relentlessly avenge the blood of our of our Leader and our people,” Larijani wrote on X Saturday. “Trump must and will pay.”
Trump, for his part, appeared unfazed.
“I have no idea what he’s talking about, who he is. I couldn’t care less,” Trump told CBS, adding that Larijani has “already been defeated.”
In a separate post, Larijani, 67, doubled down on his vow to avenge Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the strikes.
“We won’t let [Trump] off the hook; he must pay the price—he’s martyred our leader and our people,” Larijani wrote. “This isn’t a simple matter; we won’t let it go until we retaliate in kind.”
Trump then pointed to a video released earlier Saturday by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in which he apologized to neighboring countries for Iran’s retaliatory strikes against U.S. and Israeli bases across the Middle East.
Making further comments about Larijani, Trump said the official “intended to take over the Middle East and he’s conceded and surrendered to all of those countries because of me.”
“He’s already surrendered to all of the Middle Eastern countries because he was trying to take over the entire Middle East,” Trump told CBS. “That’s why all of those rockets were long ago aimed at those countries. He had that planned, long before this started.”
The Iranian president later posted another video that contained no apology.
“We have not attacked our friendly and neighboring countries,” Pezeshkian said. “Rather, we have targeted U.S. military bases, facilities, and installations in the region.”
Trump also praised the “incredible” job the U.S. military has done in toppling Iran’s forces and said the country was expanding its attacks.
“It’s been incredible, the job we’ve done. The missiles are blow to smithereens,” Trump said. “They’re down to very few. The drones are blown. The factories are being blown up as we speak. The navy is gone, it’s at the bottom of the sea. Forty-two ships, 42, in six days, 42 ships. The navy is gone. The air force is gone. Every single element of their military is gone. Their leadership is gone. There’s not a thing that’s not gone.”
He added: “We’re winning at levels never seen before and quickly.”
The president kicked off his weekend by thirsting over Iran’s destruction in a fresh Truth Social screed hours before he spoke with CBS.
“Today Iran will be hit very hard!” he warned. “Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time.”
He then attended the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members killed in his war with Iran while wearing a $55 cap available for purchase on the president’s merchandise website.
The six service members, all part of the 103rd Sustainment Command, were killed by an Iranian strike in Kuwait on Sunday, March 1. They were Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39; Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20; Major Jeffrey R. O’Brien, 45; and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54.
Following their deaths on March 1, Trump said, “Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is.”
Last week, he doubled down in a statement to Time Magazine: “…You know, we expect some things. Like I said, some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die.”
A few days earlier, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, lashed out, calling U.S. and Israeli leaders “filthy criminals” and vowing they would suffer “devastating blows” for crossing Iran’s “red line.”
In a televised address, he warned: “You have crossed our red line and must pay the price.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
