Iran war: Trump says he won’t use nuclear weapons and neither should anyone else

Iran war: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would not use a nuclear weapon in the war against Iran, saying the US had already "totally" and "in a very conventional way" decimated Iran without it.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said, "Why would I use a nuclear weapon? We've totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it." He added, "No, I wouldn't use it. A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody."

Asked how long he was willing to wait for a long-term peace deal with Iran, Trump said, "Don't rush me." He said he wanted to make "the best deal" and added that while he could make a deal "right now", he did not want to do that because he wanted it to be "everlasting".

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Trump also said Iran might have loaded up its weaponry "a little bit" during the two-week ceasefire, but said the US military could deal with that quickly. "Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone, their anti-aircraft is gone...maybe they loaded up a little bit during the two-week hiatus, but we'll knock that out about one day, if they did," he said.

Meanwhile, earlier on Thursday, Trump ordered the US Navy to "shoot and kill" any Iranian boat that was putting mines in the Strait of Hormuz, even as Pakistan stepped up diplomatic engagements to bring the US and Iran to the negotiating table for a second round of talks.

In a social media post, Trump said he had ordered the Navy to act against "any boat, small boats though they may be... that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz" and said there was to be "no hesitation". He also said US mine "sweepers" were clearing the strait and that he was ordering that activity to continue "at a tripled up level".

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Trump further said the US had total control over the Strait of Hormuz and that no ship could enter or leave without its approval. "It is 'Sealed up Tight,' until such time as Iran is able to make a DEAL," he said. His comments came a day after the Revolutionary Guards intercepted two vessels and transferred them to Iranian territorial waters for inspection of their cargo, documents and related records.

In a separate post, Trump said Iran was having a "very hard time" figuring out who its leader was and claimed infighting between the "Hardliners" and the "Moderates" was "CRAZY". In response, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said there were no "hardliners" or "moderates" in Iran.

"We are all Iranians and revolutionaries. With ironclad unity of nation and state and obedience to the Supreme Leader, we will make the aggressor regret. One God, one nation, one leader, one path; victory for Iran, dearer than life," they said in separate posts on X that were re-posted by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Earlier, Trump had also shared a post by a conservative commentator calling for the assassination of Iranian officials who oppose diplomacy with the US.

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