President Donald Trump on Monday hailed America’s “powerful” and “lethal” nuclear-powered submarine fleet as he condemned Russian ex-president Dmitry Medvedev’s suggestion that Moscow and Iran’s allies could provide Iran with nuclear warheads following U.S. airstrikes on its nuclear facilities.
Medvedev — who served as Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012 and as prime minister from 2012 to 2020 — had criticized the attack on Iran’s Fordow, Esfahan and Natanz facilities that had been carried out on Saturday by seven B-2 bombers and a group of fighter aircraft accompanying them into American airspace.
He wrote that “a number of countries” were “ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads” as a result of the U.S. strikes, which were intended to degrade or destroy Iran’s capacity to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels and assemble working nuclear or thermonuclear weapons.
Trump reacted with incredulity on his Truth Social platform on Monday.
“Did I hear Former President Medvedev, from Russia, casually throwing around the ‘N word’ (Nuclear!), and saying that he and other Countries would supply Nuclear Warheads to Iran?” the president wrote.
“Did he really say that or, is it just a figment of my imagination? If he did say that, and, if confirmed, please let me know, IMMEDIATELY,” he said.
The “N word” — which Trump has repeatedly invoked as a euphemism for “nuclear” — “should not be treated so casually,” he wrote.
The president added a dig at Medvedev for having been seen as a figurehead or placeholder president who lacked autonomy and authority compared with Putin.
“I guess that’s why Putin’s ‘THE BOSS,’” he wrote.
The U.S. leader’s comments appeared to have rattled Medvedev, who responded with a statement posted to X later on Monday in which he said Moscow “has no intention of supplying nuclear weapons to Iran” because of Russia’s obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
“I know quite well what this would entail, having overseen our nuclear forces as president. But other countries might — and that’s what was said,” he said.
Medvedev added that he and Trump “definitely shouldn’t be arguing over who has more nukes” in part because the New START treaty remains in effect, even though Moscow suspended participation in the treaty in February 2023.
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Trump also appeared to confirm the use of a guided missile submarine in the attack on Iran, writing that “anyone” who “thinks out ‘hardware’ was great over the weekend” should consider America’s submarine fleet, calling them “far and away the strongest and best equipment we have” and “20 years advanced over the pack.”
“They are the most powerful and lethal weapons ever built, and just launched the 30 Tomahawks — All 30 hit their mark perfectly,” he said.
The president’s mention of the U.S. submarine fleet’s role in Saturday’s events appeared to be an allusion to the variant of the Ohio-class boats which were designed — and are still used — to carry and launch American-made Trident II ballistic missiles topped with thermonuclear warheads.
The U.S. Navy operates 18 such submarines, with four having been converted to carry Tomahawk cruise missiles and the remaining 14 serving as one-third of America’s strategic nuclear “triad” along with manned bombers and ground-based intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Trump has boasted that the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities using bunker-busting bombs and Tomahawks left each of the targets “completely and totally obliterated,” writing on Truth Social that the “biggest damage took place far below ground level” and calling the result a “bullseye!!!"
Satellite photos taken in the aftermath of the airstrikes show significant damage to Tehran’s nuclear sites — but not necessarily to the extent claimed by the president.
The pictures published by Maxar Technologies showed several craters and new holes on top of the ridge at the Fordow underground complex as well as tunnel entrances blocked by dirt.
Iran has vowed to retaliate for the attacks and on Monday launched ballistic missiles at an American airbase in Qatar.
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