Donald Trump has been mocked online after declaring “mission accomplished” in Iran.
The US president made the claim in a bizarre post on his Truth Social account in which he also attacked his Republican predecessor George W Bush.
The post shows a seemingly AI-generated image of Trump against a backdrop of US fighter jets, a warship and American flags.
A picture of former Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during America and Israel’s initial bombing raids on his country last February, is shown next to a sign declaring: “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED 2026.”
On the opposite side of the image, there is a picture of former President Bush beside a sign saying: “MISSION NOT ACCOMPLISHED 2001-2021.”
That appears to be a reference to Bush’s infamous appearing on the American warship Abraham Lincoln displaying a ‘Mission Accomplished’ sign following the fall of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 2003.
However, the war in Iraq continued for a further eight years.
Trump’s claim comes despite the fact that there is still no sign of a peace deal to end the Iran conflict.
The president has repeatedly claimed victory in the war, and that the Iranian regime are “desperate” to reach an agreement to end it.
Nevertheless, the Strait of Hormuz remains all-but closed to international shipping traffic, while Iran has not given up its nuclear ambitions.
Social media users were quick to poke fun at Trump’s claim on X, with one accusing him of waving “the white flag of surrender”.
Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.