Furious comments from President Donald Trump over the weekend sparked a quick and strong reaction from Iran. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin stayed quiet, despite Trump's anger.
Iran's leader, Ali Khamenei, warned on Monday that Iran would respond strongly to any U.S. threat. This came after Trump said there would be "bombing" and more tariffs if Iran didn't agree to a nuclear deal with Washington.
"The U.S. and Israel have always been enemies," Khamenei said, according to Reuters. "They threaten us, but we don't think they will attack. If they do, we will hit back hard."
"And if they try to cause trouble inside Iran, the people will handle it," he added.
Despite Iran's warning to the U.S. and Israel, Iran expert Behnam Ben Taleblu believes Khamenei is trying to buy time. He is balancing the pressure from outside and inside his country.
"Khamenei is trying to downplay the chance of military action from Trump or Israel," Taleblu told Fox News Digital. "He also wants to deter them. This is a tightrope he will have to walk as he tries to stall and escalate nuclear talks."
"The U.S. should keep Khamenei off balance," he added.
Iran is taking a bold stance against Trump's efforts to limit its nuclear growth. Meanwhile, Russia is not backing down from Trump's plans to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump expressed his anger over comments by Putin on Friday. Putin said the U.S. efforts to negotiate a ceasefire were pointless because he doesn't recognize the Ukrainian government.
"If we can't make a deal to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I blame Russia, I'll put high tariffs on Russian oil," Trump said. He mentioned that the tariffs could reach 50%.
Trump later said his anger could fade if Putin "does the right thing." He also mentioned that he has a good relationship with Putin.
However, Putin has not responded to Trump's angry comments. The Kremlin chief has another call with Trump this week.
The Kremlin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on Monday that Russia will keep working on improving relations with Washington. He blamed the Biden administration for damaging relations and said Putin is still in touch with Trump.
But Putin's silence and the Kremlin's calm words are part of a bigger strategy, according to former DIA intelligence officer Rebekah Koffler. She told Fox News Digital.
Putin, like Trump, loves to confront others," Koffler said. "But Putin does it differently. The Kremlin shows Putin as calm and collected, which he is.
"President Trump got upset and used harsh words. This made Putin feel he had won, just like he did with Biden, Obama, and others," she said.
"Putin believes Russia is winning in Ukraine and has more power than NATO. He also thinks he got to Trump, which is his goal," Koffler explained. "It's like a judo move."
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