US President Donald Trump said he rules out the use of nuclear weapons against Iran and told reporters “don’t rush me” when asked how long he was prepared to wait for a peace deal in the war that has been ongoing since 28 February.
“Why would I use nuclear weapons? We have totally, in a very traditional way, destroyed them without it,” Trump told reporters at the White House on 23 April when asked if he would use such weapons.
“No, I wouldn’t use one. No one should ever be allowed to use nuclear weapons,” said Trump, who has in the past threatened to destroy all of Iranian civilisation if the country’s leaders did not agree to a peace deal with the US.
Trump also said he could “right now” strike a peace deal with Tehran if he wanted to, but emphasised that he wants the agreement to be long-term.
“I want to make the best deal I can. I could make a deal right now… But I don’t want to do that. I want it to be forever,” the US president said.
“Their navy is destroyed. Their air force is destroyed, their air defence is destroyed… They may have resupplied a little bit during the two-week hiatus, but we’ll destroy that in about a day if they did,” he added.
No peace deal was reached during the first round of talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad a fortnight ago, with both sides indirectly discussing a second round.
While Washington has increased pressure on Iran’s economy by limiting its oil revenues by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has refused to sit down at the negotiating table unless the United States lifts the blockade.
The U.S. had previously insisted that the blockade would end only after a peace deal was signed.