United States President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Washington’s military strike on Iran earlier this year prevented the country from developing nuclear weapons.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Trump asserted that if the U.S. hadn’t taken action, Iran “would have likely created nuclear weapons by now.” He added that signing a nuclear deal instead of launching the strike “would have left a big dark cloud” over the situation.
“The strike was very important,” Trump emphasized. “Iran wants to work on peace now. They have informed us and acknowledged that they are totally in favor of the [Israel-Hamas] deal.”
The U.S. president also noted that Washington continues to maintain major sanctions on Iran, while expressing hope that Tehran could “rebuild its country” under peaceful conditions.
Trump’s comments come amid a shifting Middle East landscape following the first phase of the Gaza peace plan, with several regional actors—including Iran—publicly signaling support for de-escalation efforts.