The president states conventional military capabilities are sufficient while reaffirming opposition to nuclear use.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States would not deploy nuclear weapons in a potential conflict involving Iran, emphasizing reliance on conventional military force instead.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump stated, “No, I wouldn’t use it,” when asked about the possibility of a nuclear strike. He added, “Why would I use a nuclear weapon when we’ve, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it? A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody.”
The remarks follow earlier statements on April 7 in which Trump warned that a “whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back,” language that drew concern before a ceasefire agreement was reached later that day and subsequently extended.
JD Vance has also addressed the situation, stating that the United States is prepared to escalate military pressure using capabilities not previously deployed in the conflict. The White House, however, has said those comments did not refer to nuclear weapons.
Vance has continued to press Iran for concessions regarding its nuclear program, which has been the subject of longstanding international scrutiny. Trump reiterated that his objective is an Iran “without a nuclear weapon that’s going to try and blow up one of our cities or blow up the entire Middle East.”
Iranian officials have denied pursuing nuclear weapons, while the International Atomic Energy Agency has stated that an atomic weapon was not imminent prior to the current conflict. Nonetheless, concerns persist among some officials over Iran’s uranium enrichment activities, a key component in nuclear weapons development.
The United States remains the only country to have used nuclear weapons in combat, during the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, which resulted in an estimated 214,000 deaths.
Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons but has not publicly confirmed their existence.
U.S. policy has historically maintained the option of nuclear use under certain circumstances. Trump has previously called for reconsidering the country’s pause on nuclear testing, citing concerns about potential undisclosed testing by other nations.
Former President Barack Obama advocated for long-term global nuclear disarmament while maintaining that the U.S. arsenal serves as a deterrent as long as such weapons exist. The United States has not adopted a formal policy pledging never to use nuclear weapons first in a conflict.