Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday condemned President Donald Trump’s warning that “a whole civilization will die” if Iran fails to agree to a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, calling the threat “truly unacceptable.”
Although it’s not the first time the Catholic leader has admonished Trump since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began in February, Tuesday marked the first time he has directly called out the president.
“Today as we all know there was this threat against all the people of Iran. This is truly unacceptable,” Leo, the first American pope, told reporters outside his home south of Rome in Castel Gandolfo.
In a social media rant early Tuesday morning, Trump wrote, in part, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”
In response to the pope’s remarks, the White House gave a statement to MS NOW condemning the Iranian regime and adding, “As President Trump has said, Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, and the Iranian people welcome the sound of bombs because it means their oppressors are losing.”








