Trump says he told Iran to 'go ahead' when they said they had to 'take a shot' at US base in retaliation

DES MOINES, IOWA: President Donald Trump claimed in front of the Iowa crowd that he told Iranian leaders to “go ahead” when they said they would “like to take 14 shots” at a United States military base in retaliation for the air strike in Iran.

The US carried out "Operation Midnight Hammer," a series of airstrikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — on June 21. The Pentagon called it the "largest B-2 operational strike in US history."

Donald Trump tells Iowa crowd he told Iran to 'take a shot' at US base in Qatar in retaliation

The POTUS said while speaking to supporters at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, "You know, they called me to tell me they have to take a shot at us. This was Iran, very respectful. That means they respect us. Because we dropped 14 bombs, they said we’d like to take 14 shots at you. I said, 'Go ahead, I understand.'"

Trump continued, "They said where they’d do it. I said good. We emptied out the fort, it was a beautiful military base in Qatar, who treated us really fantastically well, and they said, 'Sir, 1 o’clock okay?' I said it was fine, we could make it later, and we had nobody but four gunners. We had four. They call them gunners and they shoot the Patriots, they shoot the missiles up, it’s hard to believe."

"So all of a sudden, they said, 'We’re ready', and they were a little nervous about doing it, I want to tell you. Can you imagine? They were nice enough – this is Iran – to call me and tell me that they would like to shoot me at 14 times," the president added.

He concluded his statement and said, "So they want to shoot us, and I said, 'Go ahead', and they shot 14 high-grade, very fast missiles. Every single one of them was shot down routinely by these four unbelievable gunmen, and they did their job, and that was the end of that."

Donald Trump takes a jibe at Iran in Truth Social post

On June 23, Donald Trump thanked Iran for giving "early notice" of the missile attack on the US air base in Qatar, and boasted of the "very weak response" to his bombing of Iranian nuclear sites.

The POTUS wrote on Truth Social, "Iran has officially responded to our Obliteration of their Nuclear Facilities with a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered. There have been 14 missiles fired — 13 were knocked down, and 1 was 'set free,' because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction."

"I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done. Most importantly, they’ve gotten it all out of their “system,” and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE," he added.

Trump also mentioned, "I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured. Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Internet divided as Donald Trump says he told Iran to 'take a shot' at US base in retaliation

People on the internet stayed divided and shared mixed reactions to Donald Trump's claims regarding his conversation with Iran. 

A user wrote on X, "Nothing to see here. Just the Commander-in-Chief of U.S. armed forces boasting that he colluded with a hostile enemy to place our troops in jeopardy," while one added, "Unbelievable!!! And if we couldn't intercept one or two of the missiles? Oh, well?"

A person wrote, "This is treason," whereas someone else mentioned, "This is parody. It has to be."

An individual bluntly wrote, "Impeach him. He's an enemy of the state," while one commented, "Only Trump could turn war into a negotiation and still get respect."

An online comment also read, "The most transparent administration in history. Also arguably the most successful."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.