In their statements at a joint press conference, United States President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte referred to the conflict between Israel and Iran in…metaphors, raising eyebrows for the way they described the escalating tension in the Middle East.

The US president likened the two warring countries to “two kids in the schoolyard” and said, “They fight viciously, you can’t stop them. Let them fight for two or three minutes. Then it’s easier to separate them.”

Mark Rutte, referring to Trump’s comment and to his earlier public statement, added: “And then, daddy sometimes has to use tough language to stop them.” Trump responded, “You have to use tough language – every now and then you need to say a certain word.”