Trump says he won’t use nuclear weapon against Iran: ‘I decimated them without it’

'A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody,' Donald Trump stressed
President Donald Trump also made it clear that he doesn't want to rush while negotiating with Iran during an Oval Office event at the White House on Thursday, April 23 (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump also made it clear that he doesn't want to rush while negotiating with Iran during an Oval Office event at the White House on Thursday, April 23 (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)


WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump spoke with reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, April 23, when he said that he won’t use a nuclear weapon against Iran. He even stated that nobody should be allowed to use it.

During the question and answer session, when a reporter asked the Republican leader, “Would you use a nuclear weapon against Iran?” Trump got annoyed as he said, “No, I wouldn’t. We don’t need it. Why do I need it? Why would a stupid question like that be asked?”

Trump says he managed to 'decimate' Iran in a very conventional way

Trump then added, “Why would I use a nuclear weapon, when we’ve totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it. No, I wouldn’t use it. A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody.”

He has maintained that the US has the upper hand over Iran as the negotiations between the two countries go on. He even told reporters that he’s not “under time pressure,” but Tehran is.

President Donald Trump listens during an event on health care affordability in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump listens during an event on health care affordability in the Oval Office at the White House on Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Washington (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

“I took the country out militarily in the first four weeks. I took it out militarily. Now all we're doing is sitting back and seeing what the deal. And if they don't want to make a deal, then I'll finish it up militarily with the other 25 percent of the targets. We've hit 78 percent of the targets that we've wanted to hit,” Trump claimed.

Trump says he does not want to rush while negotiating with Iran

Reiterating the US’ apparent achievements against Iran in the ongoing conflict, Trump continued, “We've knocked out their manufacturing. We've knocked out their missile production. We've knocked out their drone production. We've knocked out everything.” 

“In some cases, when I say knocked it out, 70, 80, 90 percent, it's amazing what we've done. So I've done that within that period of time that I mentioned. But I don't want to rush myself,” the Republican leader asserted.

President Donald Trump speaks during an event for NCAA national champions in the State Dining Room of the White House, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks during an event for NCAA national champions in the State Dining Room of the White House on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Washington (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump says government of Iran is 'seriously fractured'

This came after earlier this week, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire until Iran's “leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.”



He also slammed the government of Iran by calling it “seriously fractured,” but also added that despite the ceasefire extension, the blockade of Iranian ports will continue.

Trump’s decision was called out by Mahdi Mohammadi, an advisor to the speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who described it as “a ploy to buy time for a surprise strike.”

“Trump's ceasefire extension means nothing. The losing side cannot dictate terms. The continuation of the siege is no different from bombardment and must be met with a military response. The time for Iran to take the initiative has come,” Mohammadi added.

RELATED TOPICS US STRIKES IRAN

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

President Trump alleged that the saboteur used an extremely sharp blade and deliberately cut across a long stretch of the pool overnight
26 minutes ago
In a 6-3 ruling involving a Chinese national, the high court held agents could revoke arrival protections based on unproven criminal allegations
1 hour ago
Ro Khanna accused Elon Musk of using his wealth to silence critics after reports said he sought Khanna's arrest and threatened legal action
1 hour ago
Laura Loomer accused Tucker Carlson of abandoning GOP's Iran policies and deepening a right-wing foreign policy feud
2 hours ago
Trump forcefully dismissed media criticism and congressional backlash, then revealed Iran had accepted indefinite, top-level nuclear inspections
3 hours ago
Iran hit back after Donald Trump warned Tehran against closing the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing peace talks
9 hours ago
Donald Trump accused ABC News of omitting context, claiming Barack Obama and Joe Biden spent over $100 million on the Reflecting Pool
10 hours ago
Trump also suggested that someone may have deliberately put fertilizer in the pool to cause the algae problem that has plagued cleanup efforts
11 hours ago
States may lose part of federal security funding if they reject proposed reforms including paper ballots and voter roll checks
11 hours ago
Judge Sparkle L Sooknanan ruled the SAVE database overhaul could misidentify citizens and expose sensitive voter data
13 hours ago