Donald Trump Rules Out Nuclear Strike on Iran, Calls It “Stupid Question”

The president appeared visibly perturbed when asked by a reporter in the Oval Office whether he would consider deploying nuclear weapons against the Islamic Republic. “No, I wouldn’t. We don’t need it. Why do I need it? Why would a stupid question like that be asked?” Trump fumed. He went on to clarify his position emphatically. “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.” Pushing Back on Timeline Concerns Trump also pushed back against questions that the conflict has exceeded the four-to-six-week timeline he and his aides previously set for military operations. “I took the country out militarily in the first four weeks. I took it out militarily,” Trump said. “Now all we’re doing is sitting back and seeing what deal we make. And if they don’t want to make a deal, then I’ll finish it up militarily.” Blockade Putting Pressure on Iran The president warned that the U.S. blockade has placed Iran under acute economic and infrastructural pressure, suggesting that the country faces a ticking clock on its oil industry. “They are under time pressure. Because if they don’t get their oil moving, their whole oil infrastructure is going to explode. You know what that means, because they have no place to store it.” Trump elaborated on the consequences of halted oil production. “If they have to stop it, something happens underground that essentially renders it in very poor shape, and you never recover fully. You can recover 50, 60 percent but you can never have it like it is right now, and they have a matter of days before that event takes place. So I’m not under any pressure whatsoever.”