US President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed the idea of using a nuclear weapon against Iran, calling the question "stupid" as he pointed to Tehran's military being "totally defeated."
Asked directly whether he had ruled out a nuclear strike, Trump replied, "Well, I would never say that, but the answer is yes, I rule out. No reason for it." He then turned the question back on the reporter:
"Have you ruled out using a nuclear weapon against Iran?"@POTUS: "They're totally defeated militarily — so I defeat them and now I should use a nuclear weapon on top of them? What a stupid question." pic.twitter.com/Gv9dXAJ9Zu
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 31, 2026
"And has that, what a stupid question that is actually. Well, here they are, they're totally defeated militarily. So now I defeat him and now I should use a nuclear weapon on top of him. What a stupid question."
Trump said the US could still carry out further strikes on Iran, calling the country a “failed nation” and pointing to its high inflation, weak currency and military losses.
His remarks came after Iran reportedly fired ballistic missiles at US bases in Jordan in response to an earlier US strike on Iranian forces near the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also said the US had the waterway “in extremely good shape.”
ALSO READ: US-Iran War: Full Scale Strikes To Resume Amid Hormuz Tensions? Trump Says...
The US has reportedly been weighing a plan, developed by US Central Command and backed by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, to carry out periodic limited strikes on Iran to prevent it from rebuilding radar, air defence and anti-ship missile capabilities.
A White House statement said Trump "retains all options at his disposal," and that Iran "wants to make a deal, but they are always a day late and a dollar short."
The nuclear question arose against the backdrop of Trump's framing of Iran's conventional forces as already dismantled, a point he returned to twice, first to justify ruling out further conventional action, and then to argue a nuclear strike would be unnecessary against a nation he considers already defeated.
ALSO READ: 'Laughable': Iran Mocks Trump For Using 'AI-Gen Video' For Kharg Attack Claim
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