What They’re Saying About Operations Epic and Economic Fury and Project Freedom—May 11, 2026
U.S.
President Donald Trump | Comments to Journalists
“Look, I’ve had to deal with them four or five times, they change their mind, they’re very dishonorable people, the leadership [of the Iranian regime]. Don’t forget, it’s the third level— the first level is gone, they were unreasonable, the second level was more reasonable, the third level no one wants to be president. They say, ‘Who wants to be President?’ and nobody raises their hand, they just change their mind. These people, you make a deal and then the next day, they send you a document that takes five days to get there when it should’ve been there in 20 minutes, it’s a pretty simple document. They will never have a nuclear weapon.”
President Donald Trump | Comments to Journalists
“The level of ferocity for protest, you know the people are watching that they want to go out on the street and they have no weapons and no guns. We thought the Kurds were going to give us weapons but they disappointed us. The Kurds take, take, take, they have a great reputation in Congress, and Congress says, ‘Oh, they fight so hard.’ They fight hard when they get paid, so I’m very disappointed in the Kurds. I said it wasn’t going to work, by the way. I disagreed with what they did. They gave it and I said they will never get there. In this case, too bad: we sent some guns with ammunition. They were supposed to be delivered, but they [the Kurds] kept it.”
President Donald Trump | Comments to Journalists
“Unbelievably weak, I would call it [the Iranian regime’s latest diplomatic proposal] the weakest right now after reading that piece of garbage they sent us. I didn’t even finish reading it. They said I was going to waste my time reading it. I would say it is one of the weakest right now, and right now it is on life support. I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support.”
President Donald Trump | Press Interview
“It’s a very simple plan. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and they won’t have a nuclear weapon. They didn’t want to go that far, if you can believe it. How stupid, are they stupid people? They didn’t want to believe it, they think I’ll get tired of this, I’ll get bored, I’ll have some pressure. There’s no pressure, no pressure at all. We’re going to have a complete victory—have already a complete victory in theory from a military standpoint.”
President Donald Trump | Comments to Journalists
“They [the Iranian regime] did two days ago, they said you’re going to have to take it [Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium]. We were going to go with them. But they changed their mind because they didn’t put it in the paper. When they sent us this document that we waited four days for, that should’ve taken ten minutes to do. Very simple, we get that it guarantees no nuclear weapons for a very long period of time, and a couple of other minor things. But they can’t just get there—they agree with us and then they take it back. They said to us it was so badly obliterated.”
“CENTCOM forces have redirected 62 commercial ships and disabled 4 to ensure compliance.”
“I appreciate President Trump’s earnest efforts to seek a diplomatic solution to change the behavior of the Iranian terrorist regime. However, between their constant attacks on international shipping, the persistent attacks on our Middle Eastern allies and now a totally unacceptable response to America’s diplomatic proposal, it is in my view, time to consider changing course. Project Freedom Plus sounds pretty good right about now.”
“The idea that Iran would not completely destroy all their enrichment facilities as part of a negotiated solution makes no sense. The moratorium - without complete dismantlement of the enrichment facilities and capabilities - truly becomes the JCPOA. I am certain that Iran’s refusal to destroy their enrichment capability will be soundly rejected.”
IRAN
Aliakbar Velayati, Adviser to the Supreme Leader on International Affairs | X
“1) Trump says ‘Iran will no longer laugh’ while boasting about a ‘glorious ceasefire.’ Yet he threatens Iran with nuclear innuendoes as if he still believes the Pentagon’s lies about hiding the heavy casualties of American soldiers.
“2) Mr. Trump, never assume that you can exploit today’s calm in Iran and march triumphantly into Beijing. First, learn the ‘alphabet of the new geopolitical order in West Asia.’
“3) We defeated you on the battlefield; never imagine that you will emerge victorious in diplomacy.”
GULF STATES
“His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, received a telephone call today, Monday, from His Excellency Abbas Araqchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran. During the call, they discussed the latest developments related to the Pakistani mediation efforts and the ongoing diplomatic talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, and exchanged views on the matter.”
UKRAINE
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy | X
“I had a call with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. I condemned the recent strikes from Iran against the UAE. And we must make every effort to truly protect life in the Gulf region, which is of global importance. Against this backdrop, it is critical that our teams continue to work closely together in the area of security.”
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