Washington, May 7: US President Donald Trump has publicly criticised Pope Leo over Iran, saying the pontiff appeared to support Tehran’s ability to possess nuclear weapons, an idea he said Washington would never accept.

Trump made the remarks during an exchange with reporters at the White House on Wednesday (local time) after being asked about Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s planned meeting with the Pope.

“Mr President, you’ve had some recent back and forth with Pope Leo,” a reporter said. “I understand Secretary of State Marco Rubio is going to meet with the Pope tomorrow. What message do you hope he delivers to the Holy Father?”

Also read: Iran Tightens Control Over Strait ofHormuz

Trump responded by saying his position on Iran was clear and non-negotiable. “Well, I can tell you this, that as far as the Pope is concerned, it’s very simple -- whether I make him happy or I don’t make him happy, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.

The President then suggested the Pope had taken a different position on Tehran. “And he seemed to be saying that they can,” Trump said. “And I say they cannot.”

Trump warned that allowing Iran to acquire nuclear weapons would threaten global stability. “Because if that happened, the entire world would be hostage, and we’re not going to let that happen,” he said. “That’s my only message.”

The exchange came during a White House appearance that had initially focused on a planned UFC event on the White House grounds next month. Trump had appeared alongside fighters including Justin Gaethje, Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane.

As reporters shifted the discussion toward foreign policy, Trump repeatedly returned to Iran and its nuclear ambitions.

Trump said Tehran wanted “to make a deal badly” and claimed talks over the previous 24 hours had been productive. “They can’t have nuclear weapons, it’s very simple,” Trump said.

Trump also claimed Iran’s military infrastructure had suffered major damage. “They had a Navy with 159 ships, and now every ship is blown to pieces and lying at the bottom of the water,” he said. “They had an Air Force, lots of planes, and they don’t have any planes.”

The President further argued that Iran would take decades to recover if the conflict ended immediately. “If we left right now, Iran, it would take them 20 years to rebuild,” he said.

Trump ended the exchange without elaborating further on the Vatican issue, saying only that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remained his priority.

(IANS)