Trump rules out using nukes on Iran, calls it a 'stupid question' after claiming Tehran 'totally defeated militarily'

WASHINGTON, Sept 2: US President Donald Trump said Monday that he had ruled out using nuclear weapons against Iran, calling the question "stupid" as fighting between the two countries resumed after a brief lull in hostilities.

"I would never say that but the answer is yes," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked whether he had ruled out a nuclear strike. "There is no reason for it  What a stupid question."

Reiterating his previous claim, he said Iran was "totally defeated militarily, and now I should use a nuclear weapon on them  What a stupid question."

Trump had previously threatened to destroy Iran's entire civilisation, though has never publicly threatened to use nuclear weapons against Tehran.

His comments came as Washington considered returning to a campaign of limited strikes against Iran after the latest exchange of fire.

Three US officials told Axios that Washington was weighing strikes on missile and radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz to prevent Iran from launching projectiles at ships in the waterway.

The plan, developed by CENTCOM and backed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, would seek to reduce the threat to commercial vessels and other ships operating through the strait. One US official described the approach as an effort to "mow the lawn".

CENTCOM is also increasingly concerned about the Islamic Republic rebuilding its radar and missile capabilities near the strategic waterway. A recent incident in which Iran fired a missile at a US F-35 fighter jet escorting a ship through the strait has further heightened those concerns, although the missile was not close enough to pose a direct threat.

The strike plan had been prepared before the latest exchange of fire, and Trump could now authorise the operation following the escalation.

Trump said Monday that there would be a response to Iran's attacks and warned "We're going to hit them hard."

The latest confrontation followed the reported downing of a US drone over the Strait of Hormuz by the IRGC. Iran's military leadership also warned neighbouring countries against allowing the US to use their territory to launch attacks.

A tanker leaving the strait separately reported being struck by three "unknown projectiles" off Oman's northeastern coast, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency. No casualties or environmental damage were reported.

Iranian media also reported that a Saudi oil tanker had been stopped while travelling through the southern corridor of the Strait of Hormuz, although Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the claim.

The conflict began on February 28, when Israel and the US conducted a joint decapitation strike at Iran aimed at crippling its military capabilities and nuclear programme by fully eliminating its senior political and military leadership. Despite the success of the attacks, Iran's secondary leadership quickly assumed command and proceeded to subsequently block shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which around one-fifth of global oil shipments passed before the war.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that the US Navy has "total control" of the waterway, while Washington said last week that it had completed clearing explosives from the strait.

Iran continues to insist that it controls the sea lane. The Revolutionary Guards, however, insisted that Monday a "rogue" oil tanker had caught fire near the strait after striking two mines while attempting to use what Tehran described as an "illegal route".

Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have also stalled, although Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that Tehran would immediately respond if Washington returned to the June memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war.

"I state explicitly that if the United States returns to its commitments under the aforementioned memorandum of understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately take reciprocal action," Pezeshkian said at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi likewise called for the resumption of negotiations.

"The solution is completely clear and straightforward: the United States must return to its commitments," Araghchi said. "In that case, everything can be put back on the right track."

(UNI)