Trump Says "I’m Not Like the Pope, I Won’t Allow a Nuclear Iran," Renews Criticism

The Financial News – Donald Trump, President of the United States, has raised the level of his confrontation with Pope Leo XIV over the war involving the Islamic Republic of Iran. By directly challenging the Pope’s anti-war message, he once again drew attention to their differences over the nuclear issue.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on the 16th (local time) before departing for Las Vegas, Nevada, President Trump said, "If the Pope allows Iran to possess nuclear weapons, then I disagree with the Pope." He went on, "The Pope issued a statement saying that Iran could have nuclear weapons," adding, "I am saying that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons."
President Trump issued a stark warning about the possibility of the Islamic Republic of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. He argued, "If Iran obtains nuclear weapons, the entire world will be in danger and the Middle East will be blown up."
He also raised the issue of Iran’s human rights record. President Trump said, "The Pope needs to understand that Iran has killed 42,000 of its own people over the past few months," adding, "They were completely unarmed protesters with no guns and nothing at all. The Pope has to understand that this is the ‘real world.’ It is a terrible world."
However, he appeared to dial back his remarks when offering a personal assessment. President Trump noted that Pope Leo XIV’s brother, Louis Prevost, is a supporter of his political slogan and base, the MAGA movement supporters, and said, "He is a very fine man. I am sure the Pope is also a fine person."
Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born Pope, has until now been cautious about directly criticizing President Trump. However, the war involving the Islamic Republic of Iran has prompted him to strengthen his anti-war message with statements such as, "God does not bless any war" and "Delusions of omnipotence are fueling war."
In response, President Trump has criticized him as "weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy," and the public war of words between the two sides is intensifying.

km@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-min Reporter