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U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran has "virtually given up" plans to develop nuclear weapons, claiming a key U.S. objective in its conflict with Tehran is now being met.
"Iran, as you know, has virtually given up any plans of a nuclear weapon," Trump told reporters on Saturday as he left the White House for a rally in Ohio. "We have a decision that I’ll make about Iran. Iran’s been decimated. So the only question is, it’ll either be the easy way or the hard way. We’ll have it the easy way or the hard way."
Trump’s remarks come as the eight-month conflict, which began in late February with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran aimed at preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon and weakening its military capabilities, remains unresolved.
The two sides have continued to trade threats and strikes despite diplomatic efforts led by regional mediators. Iran has proposed steps to end the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global energy shipments, but Trump has rejected Tehran’s latest proposal.
Iran has repeatedly denied U.S. and Israeli allegations that it is pursuing nuclear weapons.
President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated that position during his visit to New York last month for the U.N. General Assembly. He maintained that Tehran does not seek nuclear weapons because of a religious prohibition and offered to dilute its enriched uranium stockpiles under international verification.
At the same time, Tehran has drawn a line around its civilian nuclear activities. Iran maintains that it will not give up its peaceful nuclear program or accept structural concessions unless Washington lifts economic sanctions.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reinforced Trump’s warning Saturday, saying the president would keep "all the options he needs on the table" if Tehran refuses to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
"Iran will never, ever, ever have a nuclear weapon," Hegseth told reporters, adding that Trump is "hell-bent and determined" to prevent Iran from obtaining one.
Hegseth said the Pentagon is working to give Trump the broadest possible range of military options, which he described as maximizing the president’s "decision space." He declined to confirm whether the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group, dispatched from San Diego last week, would be deployed to the Middle East.
He also claimed Iran is trying to rebuild missile and military capabilities damaged in U.S. strikes but argued that the destruction of its defense industry is making the effort slow and difficult.
On the Strait of Hormuz, Hegseth claimed Washington now controls the strategic waterway, describing the U.S. blockade as "ironclad" and saying traffic through the strait is approaching pre-war levels.
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