'Iran will not have a nuclear weapon': Trump defends hardline stance amid fragile ceasefire

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump categorically reiterated that Iran isn’t getting anywhere near a nuclear weapon, even as talks fizzle out and a shaky ceasefire hangs in the balance.

After negotiations between Washington and Tehran failed to produce a breakthrough in Islamabad, Trump made it clear Monday that deal or no deal, Iran isn’t going nuclear on his watch.

Trump says Iran made it clear they still want nuclear weapons

Uranium enrichment remains the sticking point. Tehran has long argued it’s a “national right,” even while maintaining it’s not building a bomb. Washington isn’t buying it and has pushed for a full dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program.

Trump, who had claimed that the June 2025 strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities, suggested over the weekend that the country hasn’t exactly shelved its ambitions.

"I think Iran is in very bad shape. I think they're very desperate," he told reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday, April 12. "We had a meeting that lasted 21 hours. We understand the situation better than anybody. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. There is no way that they're going to get it. They still want it, and they made that clear the other night. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon."

The marathon talks led by Vice President JD Vance stretched on for nearly a full day, but didn’t deliver a resolution. If anything, they seem to have hardened positions on both sides.

Meanwhile, Trump is not losing sleep over whether Iran comes back to the table.

“I don’t care if they come back or not,” he said bluntly. “If they don’t come back, I’m fine.”

US-Iran ceasefire holds barely as pressure builds

Despite the deadlock, Trump said the ceasefire between the US and Iran is still intact.

“I would say it's holding well,” he said.

According to the commander-in-chief, the damage to Iran's military capabilities is extensive. "Their military is destroyed. Their whole navy is underwater…You know that 158 ships are gone. Their navy is gone. Most of their mine droppers are gone,” he told reporters.

At the same time, the administration is tightening the screws economically. Trump confirmed that a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would kick in on Monday morning.

“As you know, at 10:00 tomorrow, we have a blockade going into effect,” he said. 

“Other nations are working so that Iran will not be able to sell oil,” Trump added, calling the effort “very effective.”

“There are many boats heading toward our country to fill up with oil and then go and take it. So they're not going to go through the strait, and ultimately that will be corrected,” the POTUS claimed. “But in the meantime, they're using us. We have more oil because of ‘drill, baby, drill.’ We have more oil than Russia and Saudi Arabia put together.”

Iran signals openness but with conditions

On the other side, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian suggested a deal isn’t off the table if Washington changes its approach.

“If the American government abandons its totalitarianism and respects the rights of the Iranian nation, ways to reach an agreement will certainly be found,” Pezeshkian said in a post translated from Persian and shared on X (formerly Twitter).

He also gave a nod to his negotiating team. “I commend the members of the negotiating team, especially my dear brother Dr. Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, and say, ‘God gives you strength,’” he added.