LONDON: Donald Trump on Wednesday attacked the US intelligence services as "naive" and "wrong" on the threat he says is posed by Iran.
In scathing tweets, the US President outlined the scale of the risk still posed by Tehran's nuclear ambitions and aggressive policies in the region. And he said that the intelligence services failure to grasp that meant they should "go back to school!"
The Intelligence people seem to be extremely passive and naive when it comes to the dangers of Iran. They are wrong! When I became President Iran was making trouble all over the Middle East, and beyond. Since ending the terrible Iran Nuclear Deal, they are MUCH different, but....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2019
...Time will tell what will happen with North Korea, but at the end of the previous administration, relationship was horrendous and very bad things were about to happen. Now a whole different story. I look forward to seeing Kim Jong Un shortly. Progress being made-big difference!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2019
"The Intelligence people seem to be extremely passive and naive when it comes to the dangers of Iran. They are wrong!" Trump said in a Twitter post. "When I became President Iran was making trouble all over the Middle East, and beyond. Since ending the terrible Iran Nuclear Deal, they are MUCH different, but a source of potential danger and conflict.
"They are testing Rockets (last week) and more, and are coming very close to the edge."
Trump said the only thing holding Iran back is its "crashing" economy.
Leaders of the US intelligence community told a Senate committee on Tuesday that the nuclear threat from North Korea remained but that Iran was not taking steps toward making a nuclear bomb.
Trump last year pulled out of an international nuclear deal with Iran and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran.
Trump also defended his decision to withdraw 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria on grounds that Daesh no longer poses a threat, saying "we've beaten them."
"Caliphate will soon be destroyed, unthinkable two years ago," Trump said on Twitter.
