Iran takes startling step believing Trump is 'legitimately mentally ill': journalist

Amid the ongoing peace talks between Washington and Tehran, Iranian negotiators have recently enlisted the help of “senior psychologists” to help them navigate what they believe to be a pressing issue involving President Donald Trump, investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill claimed Friday, citing Iranian sources.

“A couple of weeks ago, the Iranian side added senior psychologists to their negotiating team to review the communications that they were going to be sending to the mediators to give to Trump,” Scahill said during an appearance on the podcast “Breaking Points.”

“They did that because the Iranians believe that Trump is legitimately mentally ill and is operating in an impaired mental state. And they didn't say this as a joke, they didn't say this with any lightness.”

Trump, who turns 80 on Sunday, has faced renewed questions about his physical and mental health after reportedly dozing off during cabinet meetings with growing frequency. Observers have also noted bruising on his hands, swollen ankles and a rash on his neck.

“The [Iranian sources] said 'we recognize that we are dealing with a mentally incapacitated individual and we've had senior psychologists work up a psychological profile of what they think is going on with Trump's brain, and so we started to cater our messages by running them past senior psychologists before delivering them to Trump,'” Scahill continued.

“And they said ‘we started to then see some progress’ – they almost talked about it in a clinical sense like they're dealing with a patient.”