‘Israel Had To Run To Daddy’: Iran Jabs US With Trump’s New Nickname
Iran has mockingly repurposed a new nickname for Donald Trump, saying Israel had “no choice but to run to ‘Daddy'” to avoid being “flattened by our missiles,” as the war of words between Tehran and Washington escalated sharply on Saturday. The jibe came in a fiery statement from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who demanded respect from the US President.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Araqchi hit back at Trump’s recent social media boast that he had saved Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, from assassination during the recent conflict. “The Great and Powerful Iranian People… do not take kindly to Threats and Insults,” Araqchi declared.
The term ‘Daddy’ was ironically given to Trump earlier this week by NATO chief Mark Rutte, who joked that “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language” to control the fighting between Israel and Iran. Tehran has now seized upon this moniker to taunt both its adversaries.
Araqchi’s sharp retort was a direct response to a series of posts by Trump on Friday. The US President had claimed, “I knew EXACTLY where he [Khamenei] was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces… terminate his life. I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH.”
The Iranian Foreign Minister said if Trump was “genuine about wanting a deal,” he must abandon his “disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran’s Supreme Leader” and “stop hurting his millions of heartfelt supporters.”
The public spat has soured any prospect of a swift return to negotiations. Trump also revealed that he had been considering easing sanctions on Tehran but “immediately dropped all work on sanction relief” after being hit with what he called “a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust” from the Iranian leadership.
Iran, for its part, has officially rejected claims that it would restart nuclear talks with the United States next week, dismissing Trump’s earlier statement that negotiations were set to resume.
The heated exchange follows a volatile 12-day conflict that began on June 13. The war saw Israel launch an offensive against Iran’s nuclear programme, with the United States entering the fray last week by striking three key Iranian nuclear facilities.
