President Donald Trump sharpened his warnings to Iran and Hamas after sitting down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida on Monday, signaling that patience is wearing thin as his U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire stalls.
Speaking after the meeting, Trump said Iran “may be behaving badly” and suggested Tehran is attempting to rebuild nuclear facilities after the U.S. struck three sites earlier this year. He warned that if those efforts are confirmed, retaliation would follow.
“If it’s confirmed, look, there will be consequences,” Trump said. “Consequences will be very powerful, maybe more powerful than last time.”
Iran fired back almost immediately. President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X that Iran’s response to “any aggresive action would be harsh and regrettable.” Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, echoed the threat, telling the state-run Nour News agency that Iran’s response would go “beyond what the attacker expects.”
Trump also delivered a blunt message to Hamas, warning the terror group it would have “hell to pay” if it refuses to disarm as part of the next phase of the Gaza peace plan. Hamas has rejected demilitarization, which Trump described as a nonnegotiable condition.
He said Hamas would be given a “very short period of time” to lay down its weapons. If it doesn’t, Trump warned the consequences would be “horrible.”
“If they say they’re not going to disarm, those same countries will go and wipe them out,” Trump said, suggesting that other nations, not necessarily the U.S. or Israel, could take action against those responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw about 250 abducted.
Despite ongoing ceasefire talks, Israeli strikes in Gaza have continued. The Palestinian Health Ministry said in late November that more than 70,000 people have been killed since the war began, a toll that has continued to rise.
Trump, however, voiced unwavering support for Israel’s conduct, saying the country had “lived up to the plan 100%” and adding that he wasn’t concerned “about anything that Israel is doing.”
Asked whether Israeli settler violence in the West Bank could jeopardize the peace process, Trump acknowledged disagreements with Netanyahu.
“We have had a discussion, big discussion, for a long time on the West Bank. And I wouldn’t say we agree on the West Bank 100%,” he said. “But we will come to a conclusion on the West Bank.”
Trump said he believes Netanyahu will “do the right thing.”
Before their closed-door meeting at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said discussions would focus on Hamas’ disarmament, Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs, and Syria’s new government.
Netanyahu, standing beside Trump, offered glowing praise.
“I’ll say it again and again and again, we’ve never had a friend like President Donald Trump in the White House. It’s not even close,” Netanyahu said. “And I think you can judge that by not merely by the frequency of our meetings, but by the content and the intensity.”
Trump responded by emphasizing the importance of strong leadership in Israel.
“He can be very difficult on occasion, but you need a strong man,” Trump said. “If you had a weak man, you wouldn’t have Israel right now. Israel would have been, you know, Israel, with most other leaders, would not exist today.”
After the meeting, Netanyahu announced that Israel would award Trump the Israel Prize, the nation’s highest honor — the first time it has gone to a non-Israeli.
The talks came one day after Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago as part of efforts to negotiate an end to the war with Russia. While Trump has pushed for progress in Europe, momentum in the Middle East has slowed.
The Israel-Hamas truce took effect in October, ending two years of fighting sparked by the Oct. 7 terror attack. But movement on the second phase has been limited, with both sides accusing each other of violations. More than 400 people have been killed in Gaza since the agreement, local officials say, while Israel has cited delayed hostage returns, with one body still outstanding.
The U.N. Security Council approved Phase 2 of Trump’s 20-point peace plan last month, calling for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas’ disarmament. Details remain sparse about the proposed “Board of Peace” led by Trump and the International Stabilization Force meant to oversee Gaza.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this month that Washington aims to establish the new governance bodies “very soon.”
Asked whether he would back an Israeli strike on Iran if it advances its missile or nuclear programs, Trump suggested a red line had been drawn.
“If they will continue with the missiles, yes. The nuclear, fast,” Trump said. “One will be yes, absolutely. The other was we’ll do it immediately.”
Still, Trump said diplomacy remains an option, adding that he is open to talks with Tehran, even as he made clear the window for restraint is narrowing.
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