Trump slams Pope on Iran war and nuclear weapons
USA Today • • nation
Key Points:
- President Donald Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV for allegedly supporting Iran's right to nuclear weapons, intensifying tensions between the two leaders just days before Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to the Vatican.
- The pope, who has consistently opposed the U.S.-Iran war and called for peace, refuted Trump's claims, emphasizing the Church's longstanding opposition to all nuclear weapons and its mission to preach peace.
- The conflict began on February 28 with the killing of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and has caused divisions between the U.S. and European allies, with the Trump administration citing threats from Iran as justification.
- The dispute escalated after Trump's aggressive rhetoric on Easter Sunday and the pope's condemnation of war and violence, leading to mutual public criticism between the two figures.
- Rubio's upcoming Vatican visit on May 7 is seen as a potential opportunity for dialogue amid ongoing fragile ceasefire talks and regional instability stemming from the war and Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
