TEHRAN – The remarks U.S. President Donald Trump made in Egypt, as he had participating world leaders bathe him in adulation for ending a war he had done everything to maintain in recent months, did not sit well with many globally, including Iranians, who appear increasingly impatient with the president’s refusal to accept that he cannot force Iran into concessions through threats, sanctions, bombardments, and insincere messages of reconciliation.

At a Monday summit in Sharm El-Sheikh that gathered dozens of world leaders to sign a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas—whose representatives were both absent—Trump touched on a number of mostly unrelated topics. He mentioned being escorted by Egyptian aircraft before landing, called the Italian prime minister “beautiful,” asserted that only his opinion matters, and said he should have won the Nobel Peace Prize. He did not, however, address the core question that had drawn everyone to northern Africa: how the 20?point peace agreement he brokered between Palestinians and Israel would see its subsequent phases implemented.

He did, however, make statements that laid bare what the U.S. and Israel may be prioritizing at the moment. “The momentous breakthrough that we’re here to celebrate tonight is more than the end of the war in Gaza. It’s, with God’s help, it will be the new beginning for an entire beautiful Middle East,” Trump said. “From this moment forward, we can build a region that’s strong and stable and prosperous and united in rejecting the path of terror once and for all.”

Before landing in Sharm al-Sheikh, Trump spent several hours in the occupied territories, where he spoke more about Iran than the Israel-Palestine conflict. In remarks to the Israeli Knesset, Trump said he is ready to strike a new deal with Tehran. 

Trump left an international accord on Iran’s nuclear program in 2018 and imposed stringent sanctions against the country. When Iran entered negotiations with his second administration earlier this year, he helped Israel strike Iranian civilian, military, and nuclear infrastructure in the middle of the diplomatic process, and later joined the aggression himself.  He is now attempting to further strangle Iran’s economy by disrupting its trade through new means.  

“We are ready when you are, and it will be the best decision that Iran has ever made, and it’s going to happen. The hand of friendship and cooperation is open. I’m telling you, they [Iran] want to make a deal. It would be great if we could make a deal,” he told Zionist lawmakers. 

Iran’s foreign ministry responded by saying that Trump’s words are in “in complete contradiction” with his actions.  “How can one speak of peace while attacking residential areas and peaceful nuclear facilities of a country and killing innocent people?” the ministry said in a statement published Tuesday. 

Trump also called Iran a “bully” while in the occupied territories, and hailed the illegal and unprecedented attacks he carried out against the country’s nuclear sites. 

“The bully of the Middle East has been taken down,” Trump told Fox News in Israel. “And I think the bully of the Middle East may very well turn out to be a very productive partner for a lot of other countries, much different than what they look like before.”

A reaction from Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's was harsher than the initial Iranian response.  Araghchi said Trump was simply telling a “big lie”. 

“It is more than clear by now that POTUS has been badly fed the fake line that Iran’s peaceful nuclear program was on the verge of weaponization this spring. That is simply a BIG LIE and he should have been informed that there is zero proof of that, as confirmed by his own intelligence community,” the top diplomat said in a statement he posted on X. 

“The real bully of the Middle East, Mr. President, is the same parasitic actor that has long been bullying and milking the United States,” he explained. A growing number of critics in the United Stated believe the White House is controlled by the powerful Israeli lobby.  

Araghchi also said that it is very difficult for Iranians to trust the U.S. again.  “There is also the question of how the Iranian Nation can be expected to give any credence to an olive branch extended by the very same hand that was involved in the bombardment of homes and offices across Iran only 4 months ago. One can hardly be branded as President of Peace while provoking endless WARS and aligning with WAR criminals. Mr. Trump can either be a President of Peace or a President of War, but he cannot be both at the same time,” he noted. 

Analysts believe Iran may retain much of its nuclear capabilities despite the attacks, as the extent of the damage remains unclear. Furthermore, Iranians can always restart their nuclear program due to the self-sufficient nature of their domestic nuclear industry. In a video message last month, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei told the Iranian people that the country has countless dedicated nuclear scientists and experts serving their nation. He also stated that under the current circumstances—where Washington demands negotiations include Iran's military capabilities and foreign policies and continues to threaten and sanction the country—no talks would take place between Tehran and Washington.