- US President Trump mistakenly called Iran the 'Islamic Republic of Japan' on the sidelines of the NATO Summit
- Trump claimed 111 missiles were fired at the USS Abraham Lincoln and all were intercepted
- He warned the US might target Iran's infrastructure, including bridges and electric plants
US President Donald Trump made a gaffe during a speech at the NATO summit after seemingly referring to Japan instead of Iran while describing a missile attack on a US aircraft carrier.
"We had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan. They shot our aircraft carrier (USS Abraham Lincoln) over one hour and every one of them was knocked down," Trump said.
The comment, which appeared to confuse the Islamic Republic of Iran with Japan, quickly spread across social media, where clips of the moment were widely shared.
Japan, one of Washington's closest allies since the end of World War II, is a constitutional monarchy and has not been involved in military conflict with the United States for decades.
Trump Warns Of More Attacks On Iran
Alongside the apparent slip-up, Trump signalled that the US could intensify military action against Iran if tensions continue to rise.
"We're not attacking at the highest level. The highest level are the bridges... their electric plants, where they make their electricity. If we have to, we'll take them out. I don't want to do that, but if we have to, we'll take them out," he said.
He also accused Tehran of delaying negotiations and turned his attention to Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export terminal in the Persian Gulf.
"We attacked Kharg Island last night-we knocked out a piece. I said, 'don't touch the oil' because maybe we'll take over Kharg Island. We may take over Kharg Island. There's not a thing they can do about it... normally, I'm not that way, but they really deserve it," he said.
'It's A Waste Of Time'
Trump also suggested that hopes of a US-Iran agreement had effectively collapsed.
Trump said the agreement to end the conflict was "over", adding, "It's just a waste of time dealing with them."
"I'll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don't see it. I don't like these people."
