President Donald Trump brushed off threats from a senior Iranian official Saturday night as the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran continues to escalate.
In a phone interview, Trump dismissed comments made earlier in the day by Ali Larijani, who warned on social media that the American president would “pay the price” for the ongoing U.S.–Israeli military campaign against Iran.
“I have no idea what he’s talking about, who he is. I couldn’t care less,” Trump said when asked about the threat, adding that Larijani had “already been defeated.”
In a phone interview with @costareports late Saturday evening, President Trump dismissed threats from Iran’s top national security official, Ali Larijani. Trump said he “couldn’t care less” about Larijani and said he continues to push Iranian leaders to surrender amid ongoing… pic.twitter.com/7ulZ4jugLA
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) March 8, 2026
Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a longtime confidant of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has become one of the most prominent Iranian officials since Khamenei was killed in a Feb. 28 airstrike that triggered the current war.
Trump used the interview to reiterate his confidence in the military campaign, saying U.S. strikes have devastated Iran’s military capabilities and will continue as Washington demands what he called Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”
“It’s been incredible, the job we’ve done,” Trump said. “The missiles are blown to smithereens. They’re down to very few. The drones are blown. The factories are being blown up as we speak. The Navy is gone; it’s at the bottom of the sea.”
According to U.S. Central Command, more than 3,000 Iranian targets have been struck since the start of the war, and at least 43 Iranian naval vessels were damaged or destroyed in the first week of U.S. strikes.
Trump also claimed Iran’s regional ambitions had collapsed under the pressure of the campaign.
“He intended to take over the Middle East and he’s conceded and surrendered to all of those countries because of me,” Trump said of Larijani.
The exchange comes amid growing uncertainty inside Iran’s leadership structure following Khamenei’s death. The country is currently being overseen by an interim three-person governing council that includes President Masoud Pezeshkian.
On Saturday, Pezeshkian released a video message apologizing to neighboring countries that had been struck by Iranian missiles during the conflict, saying Tehran would halt attacks on regional states unless they were attacked first.
However, the Iranian president later appeared to walk back that statement in a follow-up post, asserting that Iran had only targeted U.S. military installations and bases in the region. “We have not attacked our friendly and neighboring countries,” Pezeshkian wrote. “Rather, we have targeted U.S. military bases, facilities, and installations in the region.”
The mixed messaging from Tehran highlights the increasingly fragmented nature of Iran’s leadership since Khamenei’s death, with different officials appearing to send conflicting signals about both the scope of Iran’s attacks and the regime’s willingness to escalate further. While Pezeshkian’s initial apology suggested Tehran may be attempting to calm tensions with neighboring Gulf states, Larijani’s threat toward Trump and Pezeshkian’s subsequent backpedaling underscore the continued hardline rhetoric coming from elements of Iran’s national security establishment.
The dispute also reflects a broader information battle between Washington and Tehran as both sides seek to shape perceptions of the conflict’s trajectory. Trump has repeatedly portrayed the campaign as a decisive blow to Iran’s military power, pointing to the destruction of missile stockpiles, naval vessels, and weapons factories; Iranian leaders, meanwhile, have attempted to frame their missile strikes as targeted responses against American military installations rather than broader regional attacks — a claim that has been disputed by regional officials and Western intelligence assessments.
For Trump, dismissing Larijani’s threat outright appears to be part of a broader strategy to project confidence and momentum as the conflict enters its second week. The president has repeatedly argued that Iran’s leadership is weakened and that continued pressure will eventually force Tehran to capitulate to U.S. demands.
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