Donald Trump says "No thanks" about South Korean leader rejecting his request for help with Iran
“I said, ‘Would you like to give us a little hand? We don’t need help with Iran, but if you’d like, give us a hand with Iran.’ He said, ‘No thanks,’”
Reported August 19, 2026 by koreaherald.com. Checked word for word against that report.
President Donald Trump's latest comments about North Korea include a complaint that South Korea's leader refused his request for help with U.S. military operations against Iran. Trump wrote on Truth Social that he recently asked President Lee Jae Myung for assistance, said Washington did not really need it, and reported that Lee rebuffed the request. The remarks accompanied Trump's announcement of major cutbacks to joint U.S.-South Korean exercises, his unverified claim that Kim Jong Un has answered his outreach, and renewed grievances about U.S. costs in South Korea. Analysts view the statements as an attempt to press Seoul into broader security responsibilities, while also noting that North Korea's expanded partnerships with Russia and China reduce Kim's incentive to return to talks.
- koreaherald.com ↗︎19 AUG 2026