The Latest: Schumer chides Trump for heated rhetoric on Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and Iran (all times local):

10:58 a.m.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says President Donald Trump's tweet on Iran is a sign he is desperate to distract Americans from last week's summit meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

Schumer says that when Trump runs into trouble, he creates a firestorm somewhere else.

Trump warned Iranian leadership, in a tweet in all capital letters, to never threaten the U.S again, or suffer the consequences.

Schumer says the tweet suggests a pattern in which the president uses heated rhetoric so that he can later pretend to ride in and save the day with a more measured tone.

He says "it seems as if the president's foreign policy is to commit arson so he can play the firefighter."

__

12:34 a.m.

Two weeks ahead of re-imposing sanctions against Iran, the Trump administration is stepping up the pressure on the Islamic republic.

While animosity toward Iran's officials has been a part of the administration's foreign policy from the start, President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have sharpened their rhetoric.

Pompeo told a largely Iranian-American audience on Sunday that Iran's leadership was guilty of widespread corruption and abuse of individual rights.

Hours later, Trump tweeted that threats against the U.S. by Iran would be met with historic consequences.

Iran has shrugged off the criticism, its foreign minister saying Monday the government is "unimpressed" and dismissing what it calls "bluster."