Trump threatens to ‘knock the hell’ out of Iran if it rearms

President Donald Trump on Monday appeared open to additional military action against Iran if the country attempts to build up its reserves of ballistic weapons and reestablish its nuclear program. However, he urged the country to negotiate.

“Now, I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are we’re going to have to knock them down. We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening,” Trump said, standing beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I heard Iran wants to make a deal. If they want to make a deal that’s much smarter,” the president continued.

Trump gaggled with reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida ahead of a meeting there with Netanyahu, which comes at a fraught time for the Middle East and amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran.

NBC News reported earlier this month that Netanyahu and Israeli officials were becoming more concerned that Iran was attempting to ramp up its ballistic missile production — which had been damaged earlier this year by Israeli strikes — and reconstitute the nuclear enrichment sites the U.S. bombed in June.

“If they will continue with the missiles, yes. The nuclear, fast,” Trump said when asked if he would support Israeli strikes on Iran. “One will be yes, absolutely, and the other we will do it immediately.”