Following President Trump’s strongly worded remarks over the weekend, Iran issued a sharp response, while Russian President Putin has remained silent despite the U.S. leader’s anger.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned on Monday that Iran would respond “decisively and immediately” to any U.S. threat. This came after Trump indicated potential bombings and increased tariffs if Tehran doesn’t agree to a nuclear deal with Washington.

Khamenei, according to Reuters, stated, “The animosity from the U.S. and Israel has always been there. They threaten to attack us, which we don’t think is very probable, but if they commit any mischief, they will surely receive a strong reciprocal blow.”

“And if they are thinking of causing sedition inside the country as in past years, the Iranian people themselves will deal with them,” he added.

Despite Iran’s rejection and warning aimed at the U.S. and Israel, Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, believes Khamenei’s comments are an attempt to “buy time” while managing increasing pressure on his regime.

He told Digital, “Khamenei attempted to both minimize the likelihood of military action by President Trump or Israel and deter such action stemming from the regime’s own policies. Khamenei will be forced to navigate this tightrope increasingly as he stalls for time and escalates nuclear activity.”

“U.S. policy should aim to keep Khamenei off balance,” he added.

While Iran adopts a confrontational stance against Trump’s efforts to curb Tehran’s nuclear expansion, is taking a different approach, resisting Trump’s desire to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump expressed his anger over comments on Friday, where he suggested that Washington’s efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine were pointless because he views the Kyiv government as illegitimate and incapable of signing agreements.

Trump stated, “If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault … I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” suggesting potential tariffs as high as 50%.

The president later mentioned that his anger could “dissipate quickly” if Putin “does the right thing,” reiterating his “very good relationship with [Putin].”

However, the Kremlin chief, who is reportedly scheduled for another call with Trump this week, has not responded to Trump’s strong remarks.

Putin’s chief spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, stated on Monday that Russia will continue working to “restore” relations with Washington, which he claimed were “damaged by the Biden administration” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also noted that Putin remains in “open contact” with Trump.

Former DIA intelligence officer and Russia expert Rebekah Koffler told Digital that Putin’s lack of a public response and the Kremlin’s toned-down statements are part of his broader strategy.

“Putin, like Trump, thrives on confrontation,” Koffler said. “However, his approach differs. The Kremlin is deliberately projecting an image of Putin as cool, calm, and collected, which he is.”

“The fact that President Trump reportedly got mad and used those words signifies to Putin that he finally got to him, as he did with Biden, Obama, and others who called him a killer and used other derogatory terms,” she continued.

“Putin now feels that Russia not only has an upper hand on the battlefield over Ukraine and in terms of total combat potential over NATO, but he also was able to unbalance Trump,” Koffler explained. “That is the whole point – it’s a judo move.”