Trump says US hitting Iran hard ‘economically and militarily’, praises Russia’s restraint

US President Donald Trump said the United States was hitting Iran hard “economically and militarily”, while praising Russia for refraining from providing greater assistance to Tehran amid the escalating conflict.“We're knocking the shit out of them, if that's okay. And they can't have. And they can't have a nuclear weapon, okay?” Trump told reporters, reiterating Washington’s opposition to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping had done little to help Iran, describing their restraint as a positive development. He also defended his continued negotiations with Moscow, saying diplomatic engagement was necessary to pursue agreements on Ukraine, Iran, energy supplies and the release of hostages.“Russia could have done a lot more. That’s right,” Trump said. “Russia could have done a lot more to help, if you put it bluntly, Russia could have done a lot more to help Iran. Russia has done very little for Iran, and China could have done a lot more for Iran.”He added that Russia had been “laying off of Iran” while Washington continued its military and economic pressure on Tehran.Trump defends negotiations with PutinTrump also hinted at a possible breakthrough in efforts to secure the release of an American hostage held in Russia, saying the case had been pursued by the US for a long time.“Well, you’ll see soon enough, because I’m trying to get a hostage that the country’s been after for a long time, and before my time,” Trump said. “And let’s see what happens, that’ll be—that’ll be soon.”The US president defended his decision to continue negotiations with Putin despite criticism from some Republican lawmakers. He said the discussions covered the Russia-Ukraine war, Iran, hostages, diesel supplies and gas pipelines.Trump said he did not want to disrupt negotiations prematurely but retained the option to withdraw if the talks failed to produce results.“And of course, we’re negotiating with him on Ukraine. So, I’m not looking to break up negotiations right in the middle,” Trump said. “And by the way, I have the right to do that at any time immediately. So if things don’t work out, I can always do it.”Iran threatens undersea communication cablesMeanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman, Brigadier-General Hossein Mohebbi, threatened to target undersea communication cables in the Strait of Hormuz if US attacks disrupted Iran’s regional security.The threat raises concerns about the vulnerability of critical communications infrastructure in a region already facing heightened military tensions. Undersea cables carry large volumes of international internet and data traffic.Trump also criticised Nato, saying the United States had sought assistance over Iran despite not needing it, and described the request as a test of the alliance.“We asked for help in Iran, help which we didn't need, but I was testing Nato,” he said.The remarks come amid wider questions over the future of transatlantic security cooperation, with Trump repeatedly pressing European allies to increase defence spending and assume greater responsibility for their own security.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.