US President Donald Trump has ruled out the use of nuclear weapons against Iran, despite earlier rhetoric threatening severe consequences for the country.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday, Trump said, “No, I wouldn’t use it.”
“Why would I use a nuclear weapon when we’ve, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it?” he added. “A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody.”
The remarks come weeks after Trump warned on April 7 that a “whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back,” a statement he later followed by agreeing to a ceasefire that has since been extended in the conflict involving the United States and Israel.
During the escalation, Vice President JD Vance indicated that Washington was prepared to intensify its military response using weapons not previously deployed, though the White House denied that his comments referred to nuclear capabilities.
Vance had also pushed for stronger concessions from Iran during negotiations over its disputed nuclear programme.
Trump reiterated that his objective remains preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, stating he is seeking 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.”
Iran has consistently denied pursuing nuclear weapons, while the International Atomic Energy Agency has indicated that an atomic bomb was not imminent prior to the conflict.
The United States remains the only country to have used nuclear weapons in warfare, dropping atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, resulting in an estimated 214,000 deaths.
Although Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, it has neither confirmed nor denied its arsenal publicly.
Trump’s position appears to diverge from longstanding US nuclear doctrine, which maintains the option of nuclear use under certain circumstances.
He has previously called for ending a US moratorium on nuclear testing, citing concerns over alleged activities by China and Russia.
Former US President Barack Obama had advocated for a world without nuclear weapons, though his administration maintained that the US arsenal would continue to serve as a deterrent while such weapons exist.
Washington has also consistently resisted calls to adopt a “no first use” policy regarding nuclear weapons.
