There's a time for glad-handing and back-slapping, and President Trump sure did some of both at the conclusion of the NATO summit on Wednesday. But in the pressers that followed the end of the meetings, the president had some tough words for Iran, too - and a warning, to boot.
In other words, Iran's upcoming weather forecasts are likely to include light-to-heavy showers of high explosives. Let's look at some of President Trump's remarks.
First, in a response to a New York Times reporter, President Trump appeared to close the door on any further negotiations with Iran.
President Trump is DONE playing games with Iran:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 8, 2026
"I'm not sure I want to make a deal with them [...] Let's just finish the job." pic.twitter.com/b8SU8qsvHV
NYT's Tyler Pager: Mr. President, Tyler Pager with the New York Times. Last month you said that Iranian leaders were very rational people, nice people to deal with, strong people, smart people. Today you said they were scum, sick people, being led by sick people. What changed, and do you think...
President Trump: I got to know them. So, I've said that about a lot. Now, when you say, rational, I think they're much more rational than level 1, level 2. Level 1 is gone, level 2 is gone. This is level 3. I think they are more rational, but based on their actions over the last week or two, they're not doing a service to the people. And, I think more than anything else, is I got to know them, and I'm not sure I want to make a deal with them. We can play games, but I'm not sure I want to make a deal. Let's just finish the job.
And in a presser with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the president let slip that another hit is "probably" coming Wednesday night.
REPORTER: Will you try to strike again tonight?
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 8, 2026
TRUMP: "Will we go tonight?"
"Normally? I wouldn't tell you."
"But, you know what? there's not a thing they can do about it. The answer is probably." pic.twitter.com/lpqbgiNCie
President Trump: We hit a lot of them (Iranian targets) last night. Mostly little ones. We knocked out 28 posts last night. Little ones. That's all they have, is little ones.
Question: Are you going to try to take out more tonight?
Trump: Will we go tonight? You know, normally, I wouldn't tell you, I wouldn't tell you, but you know what? There's not a thing they can do about it. So the answer is "probably."
What's more, the president said that Iran would be "hit hard," in response, again, to their launching drones and missiles at shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump says the US will be hitting Iran "HARD" tonight
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 8, 2026
Looks like he wasn't kidding about that ceasefire ending.
"I'll give them a little warning: we're going to hit them HARD tonight." pic.twitter.com/72L5qUU283
President Trump: We hit them hard last night, after they launched, they launched a couple of, you've got to know about this, you've got, you don't mind (seemingly to President Zelensky) but they launched a couple of drones, one rocket, one missile, at ships, as they were in the Strait, which they have every right to be. And so we hit them very hard last night. Very, very hard. Probably hit them hard again tonight. I'll give them a little warning; we're going to hit them hard tonight. But we'll see how it all works out. No, I'm not happy with them. For instance, we'll have a meeting, and we'll talk about the denuclearization of Iran, because that's what the war is: It's a war for the denuclearization of Iran. And we'll have a meeting, and we'll talk about just that, because my whole thing is not about regime change, it's not about... Although, I think regime change is when you knock out the first group, the second group, now you're on to... I think that's maybe the ultimate regime change.
If you boil all that down, it amounts to simply this: Iran is set to have a very bad night. They don't have much capacity to resist anymore; the United States owns the night skies, and all of their infrastructure may well be the targets. The president has also made noises in the past about either destroying or occupying Kharg Island, a key transit point for Iranian oil, which would drive a final nail into the coffin of Iran's economy.
Of course, the president may well order the targeting of, as he puts it, the third group. The sun may well rise on a rather different Iran tomorrow.
Read More: 'They're Scum'—Furious Trump Explodes, Declares Iran Ceasefire Over
Trump Vows to End Trade With NATO Ally, Calls It a Total ‘Wasted Cause’
Finally: Back in the golden age of FM radio and rock & roll, it was common to hear a disc jockey proclaim that a new song that had topped the charts was at, and I quote, "Number one with a bullet." Now, that's probably not what President Trump had in mind when announcing to assembled media that he was number one on Iran's kill list:
FEARLESS: "I am number one on the kill list for Iran [...] I don’t really care because I’m doing my job and doing it, I hope, better than anyone has ever done it."
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 8, 2026
"I like being number one on TikTok better. But I’m number one on the list for killing." pic.twitter.com/1Co6EmGdvW
Question: President Trump, Steven Nelson, from the New York Post, I'd like you to address speculation that you're leaving Ankara, not in the new Air Force One, because of security concerns involving Iran. You've spoken twice today about them about them possibly assassinating you and possibly being successful. Did that concern have something to do with...
President Trump: Well, I speak about it a lot, because, you know, the life of a president is very dangerous. It's 5.2 percent. You know what a race-car driver is? One tenth of one percent. A bull rider, that looks pretty dangerous to me, it's one tenth of one percent. No, it's 5.2 percent is, you don't make it. You should have told me... You're an excellent reporter, you should have told me that years ago. Maybe I wouldn't have run. It's a very dangerous profession. No, I'm number one on the kill list for Iran. They're lovely people. I'm number one. So, I don't know, I can't tell you that, but I don't really care. Because, I'm doing my job, and I'm doing it, I hope, better than anybody's ever done it. Because we have a country that's hot, and really, really successful. But, I mention it only because it's on the list, and it came out, there was another list that came out yesterday and I'm number one. I like being number one on TikTok better. But I'm number one on the list for killing.
In this, the president is almost certainly correct, not that a successful attempt would do Iran any good; likely, the opposite, as Vice President Vance would almost certainly oversee the utter destruction of Iran in response.
So, President Trump has delivered a short-term weather forecast for Iran: partly cloudy with a chance of explosives. The next few days, with a little bit of luck, may see some conclusion to the rule of the mullahs, one way or another.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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