President Donald Trump got corrected after claiming that Pope Leo supports Iran having nuclear weapons–a statement that is not backed by any public record. The claim, made during a media interaction, was immediately challenged, adding to a growing back-and-forth between Trump and the pope amid the Iran war.
Donald Trump comments on Pope amid ongoing tensions
CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins asked Donald Trump about his public friction with Pope Leo. Trump responded by claiming he has “nothing against the pope” but insisted, “I have to do what’s right.” He then pivoted to a specific accusation: “The pope made a statement. He says, Iran can have a nuclear weapon. I say Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
Collins immediately corrected the record on air, stating that Pope Leo had made no such declaration. Donald Trump’s claim is completely different from the pope’s documented position on nuclear proliferation. Since his election in May 2025, the US-born Pope Leo has repeatedly denounced nuclear weapons and called for global disarmament.
In June 2025, as Israel teetered toward starting a war with Iran, the pope urged “responsibility and reason,” emphasizing that “the commitment to creating a safer world, free from the nuclear threat, should be pursued through respectful encounter and sincere dialogue.”
The pontiff has consistently advocated for diplomatic solutions regarding Iran rather than military confrontation. In February 2026, he asked the United States and Russia not to allow the New START nuclear arms treaty to expire without replacement, citing the need to contain weapons proliferation. More recently, in March 2026, he posted on X, urging prayers “that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament.”
However, Donald Trump’s characterization of the pope has maintained otherwise. Sunday night, he posted on Truth Social, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.” Now, Thursday’s interview crossed into asserting that Pope Leo had explicitly stated support for Iranian nuclear weapons, which the pope has never made.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory
