Trump: Iran is ‘dead,’ regime’s leaders must be tried for crimes against humanity

President Trump declares Iran a “failed nation,” calls for its leaders to be put on trial for war crimes.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

President Donald Trump declared Iran a “Failed Nation” on Monday and called for its leaders to face prosecution over the killing of anti-government protesters, issuing the broadside as direct fighting between the US and Iran resumed after a roughly month-long lull.

In a Truth Social post Monday morning, Trump described Iran as being militarily shattered and economically devastated after six months of war, while accusing its government of killing over 100,000 protesters.

“Iran is officially a Failed Nation,” the president wrote. “IT IS DEAD! They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, they have no currency, they are not paying their soldiers or police, Inflation is at 300%, and their leadership is in total disarray and incapable of properly representing the country.”

“The only thing they have is FAKE NEWS from the USA, a willingness to kill their protesters (now over 100,000 people dead. They must be tried for war crimes against humanity!), and a good line of ‘BULLSH*T.'”

The post was published Monday morning, hours after Iran fired ballistic missiles at US military facilities in Jordan in retaliation for an American strike on Iranian military equipment on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak after American officials said Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel were preparing to use them to deploy naval mines into the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran subsequently launched missiles at two American bases in Jordan, with nearly all of the incoming missiles intercepted and no significant damage initially reported.

Trump separately warned Monday that the US would retaliate against the Iranian attack, saying Washington was “going to hit them hard,” while suggesting the latest exchange did not necessarily signal a return to the most intense phase of the war. He also ruled out using nuclear weapons against Iran, saying Tehran had already been defeated militarily.

Iran’s economy has also deteriorated sharply during the war.

The rial fell to a record low of roughly 2 million to the US dollar in late August, compared with about 1.53 million in early March, as sanctions, damage to infrastructure and restrictions on Iranian trade intensified pressure on the economy.

Trump’s claim of 300% inflation is substantially higher than available estimates of Iran’s annual inflation rate. Recent reporting put annual inflation at approximately 66%, while projections indicated inflation could average around 70% during 2026.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said the country’s foreign trade has fallen by approximately 35% amid sanctions and the US blockade.

Trump has repeatedly claimed in recent weeks that Iran has been unable to pay portions of its military and security forces.

Reports from inside Iran have also described labor protests and demonstrations over unpaid wages amid worsening shortages and declining purchasing power.