Trump says he hopes to go to heaven, not hell, as tension with Iran rises

US President Donald Trump has spoken about life after death. In an interview to CBS News programme "60 Minutes", he described himself as a religious person and said he was sure he would go to heaven. He also admitted that he might not be able to forgive some of his political opponents, even if it cost him a place in heaven. Trump's words were: "I am a religious person, so in principle I go to heaven... I hope so. I don't want to go to hell."

The remark is being discussed because about seven months ago Trump posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social showing himself in the form of Jesus Christ. In the image, from April, he was seen healing a sick man lying in a hospital bed. It drew sharp criticism from both sides of American politics, even from some of his staunch supporters, and he removed the post in haste. Soon after, he also posted a long message criticising Pope Leo XIV. The Pope is an open critic of US and Israeli military action in Iran.

Responding to Trump's comment, evangelical preacher Franklin Graham wrote on X that to enter heaven a person must acknowledge his sins and repent.

Many people are surprised by Trump's changed stance on faith. Questions are being raised whether the 80-year-old President is afraid of death given his declining health, or whether this is another ploy to woo all sections of American society after the Republicans' humiliating defeat in the recently concluded US midterm elections.

Meanwhile, tension over Iran is rising. Despite the electoral setback, Trump's war rhetoric continues. Qatar's prime minister has arrived in Washington, perhaps to stop Trump from carrying out planned attacks on Iran. The Gulf countries, which the US has used for attacks on Iran, do not want war at all.

The latest warning has come from Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. He told the White House it must either accept Tehran's proposal to end fighting on all fronts or face a harsh military response that would "rain hell". On X he wrote that the choice between easing tension through talks and a devastating regional war now rests entirely with Washington.

Iranian leaders have warned that if the US and Israel attack its infrastructure again, there will be "complete destruction" of American interests in the Gulf. The Saudi economy has already been wrecked by attacks from the Houthi rebels, who overthrew Yemen's government and hold most of the country. The pro-Iran group recently seized the disputed Mokha island on the Saudi-Yemen border and brought Saudi oil exports almost completely to a halt.

Any fresh US action against Iran would invite an all-round attack on the oil-dependent G6 countries. An Iranian scholar has warned that his country's attacks would be so terrible that ruling families would have to flee and millions of people living in the Arab countries, mostly migrants, would be left in distress. In the scholar's words: "Drinking water, food and energy will run out in the Gulf countries. Millions of people will migrate towards Europe. America will be responsible for this situation."