Iran’s top security official has compared U.S. President Donald Trump to the infamous leader of Nazi Germany, saying: “Trump’s statement that he wants to create peace through strength is a strange one because Hitler said the same thing.
Ali Larijani, who leads Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Trump was nothing more than a “mere businessman,” according to remarks from an event in Tehran on Thursday night, where Larijani denounced the U.S.’s approach to Middle East diplomacy and rebuffed the Gaza peace summit in Egypt, which Tehran deliberately skipped.
Newsweek has reached the U.S. State Department and Iran’s Foreign Ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
Larijani’s remarks highlight a sharp deterioration in Iran-U.S. relations and rising regional tensions. During Israel’s 12-day war in June, the U.S. launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. In response, Iran ended its participation in the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as the JCPOA, and halted cooperation with the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog IAEA, citing U.S. demands and the return of U.N. sanctions.
By comparing Trump to Hitler, Larijani casts U.S. diplomacy as authoritarian and self-serving, signaling Tehran’s refusal to accept Washington’s regional initiatives.
What To Know
Larijani, who is also a personal representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, criticized Trump’s style of diplomacy, describing the Gaza peace summit as a personal spectacle. He said the summit “was low-level and had no place for revolutionary Iran,” emphasizing Tehran’s view that U.S.-led peace efforts were superficial.
The October 12 event in Sharm El Sheikh on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, intended to formalize a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, drew heads of state from several countries. Larijani criticized Trump for monopolizing the discussions, mocking other leaders and arriving late, calling the gathering a “Trump show.”
He said Iran had no intention of participating in what it viewed as a staged event.
Business Ties
Larijani also took aim at Trump’s relationship with wealthy Arab nations. “Trump…sees the Arabs as money and is a mere businessman,” he said, framing the president’s foreign policy as financially motivated rather than diplomatically sincere. These comments reflect Tehran’s ongoing skepticism toward U.S.-Arab alliances, even amid Iran’s tentative efforts to engage regionally.
‘Strong Bully’
Meanhwhile, in a new interview with Time magazine, Trump said that the U.S. attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites left Tehran weakened and no longer respected in the region. “[Iran] was a very big, strong bully. And they used that power very strongly across the Middle East, and they really controlled it. But they don’t control it anymore. They’re not respected anymore at all.”
Trump added that the airstrikes “bombed the hell out of” Iran’s nuclear facilities and “knocked out their nuclear potential,” leaving Tehran “fighting for survival.”
What Happens Next
Larijani’s comparison of Trump to Hitler and his rejection of the Gaza summit signal that Iran will maintain a confrontational stance toward Washington. Tehran is likely to continue advancing its nuclear program and asserting regional influence while selectively engaging with allies and rivals.
The restoration of U.N. sanctions and stalled negotiations with the West leave little room for compromise, raising the risk of further tensions over nuclear inspections or regional military activity. Iran’s posture will continue to shape Middle East security and influence U.S.-Iran relations in the months ahead.
