Trump threatens Iran with 'great and overwhelming force' after Tehran called him 'retarded'

• President Donald Trump furiously fired off a handful of tweets Tuesday morning after Iranian leadership described the White House as "mentally retarded."
• "Iran's very ignorant and insulting statement, put out today, only shows that they do not understand reality," Trump said on Twitter.
• His latest tweets suggested that should Iran attack anything American, possibly even an unmanned aerial vehicle, his administration will respond with "great and overwhelming force," a position that makes conflict more likely
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President Donald Trump furiously fired off a handful of tweets Tuesday morning after Iranian leadership described the White House as "mentally retarded."

"Iran leadership doesn't understand the words 'nice' or 'compassion,' they never have," the president tweeted. "Sadly, the thing they do understand is Strength and Power, and the USA is by far the most powerful Military Force in the world."

"Iran's very ignorant and insulting statement, put out today, only shows that they do not understand reality," Trump continued. "Any attack by Iran on anything American will be met with great and overwhelming force. In some areas, overwhelming will mean obliteration."

The president's tweets follow a statement by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who dismissed the latest sanctions as evidence of US desperation. "The White House actions mean it is mentally retarded," he said, adding that "Tehran's strategic patience does not mean we have fear."

Last week, following a string of attacks on tankers the US believes were carried out by Iranian forces, the Iranian military shot down a US Navy drone. In the aftermath of the attack, the Trump administration was, according to the president, "cocked and loaded" to retaliate with strikes, but Trump called off the attack at the last minute, arguing that taking life in response to an attack on an unmanned platform would have been disproportionate.

Instead, his administration opted for cyberattacks and sanctions, which have been battering Iran's economy.

His latest tweets suggested that should Iran attack anything American, possibly even an unmanned aerial vehicle, his administration will respond with "great and overwhelming force," a position that makes conflict more likely amid the ongoing stand-off with Tehran.