Iran to Trump: Instead of the Palestinians, expel Israelis from Gaza

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi today ridiculed US President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to “clean out” Palestinians from Gaza, suggesting an alternative idea.

“Instead of Palestinians, try to expel Israelis; take them to Greenland so they can kill two birds with one stone,” Araghchi said.

Acknowledging the challenges facing resistance factions in the region, including Hamas and Lebanon-based Hezbollah, Araghchi noted that they are “rebuilding themselves,” despite setbacks.

“This is a school of thought, an idea, a cause, an ideal that will always be there,” he added.

Trump calls to ‘clean out Gaza’ of Palestinians

US President, Donald Trump, called on Jordan and Egypt to ‘just clean out’ Gaza of its Palestinian population as the Strip had become a demolition site. Advocating for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their land, Trump… pic.twitter.com/fUnhIjal6W

— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) January 28, 2025

Araghchi also warned against any potential attack on the country’s nuclear facilities, describing such an act by the US or Israel as “crazy” and threatening a swift and forceful response that would lead to a “very bad disaster” for the region.

“We have made it clear that any attack on our nuclear facilities would be faced with an immediate and decisive response. But I don’t think they will do that crazy thing,” Araghchi told Sky News in an exclusive interview. The comments came amid heightened tensions following Donald Trump’s reelection as US president.

Trump, who withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal during his first term, recently expressed openness to negotiating a new agreement, calling it “nice”.

“Lots of things should be done by the other side to buy our confidence. We haven’t heard anything but the ‘nice’ word, and this is obviously not enough,” Araghchi said, dismissing the remarks.

READ: Iran says Trump’s ‘terrorist’ designation of Yemen’s Houthis is ‘baseless’