PALM BEACH: President Donald Trump warned Iran of fresh strikes on Monday and said Hamas would have “hell to pay” if it fails to disarm in Gaza, as the US leader presented a united front with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Speaking at a news conference with Netanyahu in Florida, Trump threatened to “eradicate” any attempt by Tehran to rebuild its nuclear programme or ballistic missile arsenal following US and Israeli strikes earlier this year.

Trump also downplayed reports of tensions with Netanyahu over the second stage of the fragile Gaza ceasefire, saying that Israel had “lived up” to its commitments and that the onus was on Hamas.

“If they don’t disarm as they agreed to do, then there will be hell to pay for them,” Trump told reporters at his lavish Mar-a-Lago resort. “They have to disarm in a fairly short period of time.” Hamas’s armed wing reiterated earlier that it would not surrender its weapons.

A top political adviser to Iran’s supreme leader said any aggression against his country would be met with an “immediate harsh response”.

Asks Hamas to disarm after talks with Netanyahu

“Iran’s #Missile_Capability and defence are not containable or permission-based. Any aggression will face an immediate #Harsh Response beyond its planners’ imagination,” Ali Shamkhani wrote on X.

‘Productive’ meeting

Netanyahu said his meeting with Trump had been “very productive” and announced that Israel was awarding the US leader its highest civilian honor the first time it has gone to a non-Israeli citizen.

Trump, the self-proclaimed “president of peace”, has been keen to move onto the next phase of the Gaza truce, which would see a Palestinian technocratic government installed and the deployment of an international stabilisation force.

While some White House officials fear Netanyahu is slow-walking the process, Trump said he had “very little difference” with the Israeli premier and was “not concerned about anything that Israel’s doing.”

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2025