Tone sharpened again "I didn't underestimate anything," says Trump about the Iran war
US President Donald Trump rejects accusations that he underestimated Iran's resilience. At the same time, he is once again toughening his tone towards Tehran - even though the fragile ceasefire is still holding.
16.05.2026, 01:55
16.05.2026, 17:54
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- Donald Trump rejects criticism that the USA misjudged Iran.
- The US President has once again threatened to attack Iran's infrastructure and energy supply.
- Despite the ceasefire, a diplomatic solution to the conflict between the USA, Israel and Iran remains elusive.
US President Donald Trump has denied having underestimated Iran's resilience. When asked whether he had underestimated Iran's tolerance for pain, Trump told Fox News: "I didn't underestimate anything."
Despite diplomatic efforts, there is still no sign of a solution to the war with Iran that the USA and Israel started at the end of February. At the beginning of the war, the US government had said that the operation would last between four and six weeks.
"Incredibly hard hit"
The USA had hit Iran "unbelievably hard", Trump now emphasized. The bridges had been left standing and the power supply intact. "We can paralyze it all in two days", said Trump. The US President had threatened Iran several times during the war with attacks on its energy sector and infrastructure.
A ceasefire, which Trump recently extended unilaterally, has been in place in the war since the beginning of April. However, tensions in the region have caused this to falter on several occasions.
In addition, the lack of progress in diplomatic efforts to end the war has caused increasing frustration in Washington. The ceasefire was hanging by a thread, Trump said before his trip to China. Even after this, it was initially unclear whether Trump's visit to China - an important ally of Iran - had brought an end to the war any closer.
