Don't rush me to end Iran war; won't use nukes: Trump

Donald Trump asserts that Iran's military capabilities have been severely weakened and he is in no rush to end the conflict, while maintaining a firm stance against Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) said he would not set any deadline for ending the conflict with Iran, stating "don't rush me" while claiming that Iran's military capabilities have been severely weakened. He also said that he would not use a nuclear weapon in the conflict, asserting that such weapons should never be used by anyone, and maintained that the United States has complete control over blockade measures against Iran.

Trump's Assessment of Iran's Military Strength

Speaking to reporters at the White House, when asked how long he is willing to wait until he gets a response from Iran, Trump said, "Don't rush me... I have been doing this for 6 weeks. Their military is totally defeated... They have boats running around with guns in them; we will take them out, too, when we see them. Their Navy and Air Force are gone. Their anti-aircraft is gone... Their leaders are all gone. Part of the problem is that they have lost their leadership, and they are fighting like cats and dogs. So who is going to control?... Soleimani was a brilliant general. Probably we would not have been that far advanced had I not taken him out."

He asserted that Iran is in a weakened position militarily and economically and said he is in no hurry to conclude talks, adding that Tehran will not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. He also criticised the previous Iran nuclear deal, asserting that it paved the way for Tehran to develop nuclear weapons while claiming that Iran is currently under severe economic and military pressure and is seeking negotiations with the United States.

Trump's Stance on Nuclear Weapons and the Iran Deal

"I ended the nuclear transaction that Obama made... The Iran nuclear deal was so bad that it gave them a road to a nuclear weapon... They cannot have the nuclear bomb, and they are not going to have it... We stopped because they wanted to have some peace. We have a blockade that is 100% effective... They are not doing well economically and financially... They want to make a deal. We have been speaking to them, but they don't even know who is leading the country... They have been obliterated," he said.

When asked whether he would use a nuclear weapon against Iran, Trump said, "Why would a stupid question like that be asked?... No, I wouldn't use it. A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody."

US Oil Supply and Control Over the Strait of Hormuz

Further, Trump said the United States has a strong economy and sufficient oil supply, adding that several ships are now heading to the US instead of the Strait of Hormuz, amid efforts to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions.

"... We have this unbelievable economy... I called JD, Marco, Howard and Scott and told them that I hate to tell you, but we have to do a little bit of a detour. We have to go to Iran and make sure that they are out of nuclear weapons... A lot of ships are coming to the United States, and they are using the United States instead of the Hormuz Strait... We don't have an oil shortage... We are right now producing more oil than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined... We are taking in millions of barrels of oil from Venezuela," he said.

Trump's Strategy and Conditions for a Deal with Iran

He also said the United States has "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz and is deliberately keeping it closed to pressure Iran into a deal, adding that he wants a lasting agreement and will not rush the process despite claiming significant progress.

"... I gave them a break. I want to make the best deal. I could make a deal right now. Do you know that if I left right now, we had a tremendous success. It would take them 20 years to rebuild, but I don't want to do that. I want to have it everlasting... What I am doing, I can't tell you that. I don't want to put that kind of timetable on it, but it will go pretty quickly. We will have the Strait opened up. Right now, we have it closed. We have total control of the Strait," he further said.

"They would have opened it up 3 days ago. They came to us, and they said, 'We will agree to open the Strait.' All my people were happy except me. I said, 'One minute, if we open the Strait, that means they are going to make $500 million a day.' I don't want them to make $500 million a day until they settle this thing. So I am the one that kept it closed. We have total control of it. It will open when they make a deal or something else happens that is very positive," he said.

Future Military Action and Conditions for Iran

Trump said he is under no pressure to end the West Asia conflict, claiming that the United States has already struck a majority of its targets and that Iran is facing urgent pressure due to its oil situation. He added that further military action remains an option if a deal is not reached, while also noting that Iran has agreed to halt the execution of several women following a request from the US.

"...How many years was Vietnam?... I took the country out militarily in the first 4 weeks. Now what we are doing is sitting back and seeing what deal. If they dont want to make a deal, then I will finish it up militarily with the other 25% targets. We have hit 78% of the targets that we wanted to hit... It is amazing what we have done... You know who is under time pressure? They are. If they dont get their oil moving, their whole oil infrastructure is going to explode because they have no place to store it. Because they have no place to store it, if they have to stop it, something happens underground that essentially renders it in very poor shape, and you never recover fully... They have a matter of days before that event takes place," Trump said.

"I am not under any pressure whatsoever... Our ships are locked and loaded, and they are ready to go... They are very disorganised right now... 8 young women were going to be executed yesterday afternoon at 6 o clock. I asked them, call it a favour or just a moral request, that they not be executed. They came back with an answer that they will not be executing them... They are releasing 4 of them very shortly, and they are going to keep 4 of them in jail for a period of one month and release them. So they will not be executed," he said.

When asked whether Iran will have to cut off its funding to Hezbollah, Trump said, "Yeah, they will have to cut that off. That is a must."

He further said that the United States has full control over its blockade measures against Iran, calling them effective, and described the blockade as "airtight and strong."

"That is very top secret... What we have done with the blockade is amazing, and nobody gets through. Nobody wants to get through; nobody's trying... We have complete control... For Iran to shoot at Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, all the different places, they shot, nobody expected that. They thought they would shoot at Israel at all fairness, but you didn't expect they would be shooting at numerous other countries. I think it was a big mistake. If they're putting mines down, it's a big mistake for them, I will say," he said.

Earlier in a post on Truth Social, Trump said he is under no pressure to end the conflict with Iran, asserting that the country is in a weakened position militarily and economically, and that any deal will be made only when it is in the best interest of the United States and its allies.

"For those people, fewer in number now than ever before, that are reading The Failing New York Times, or watching Fake News CNN, that think that I am 'anxious' to end the War (if you would even call it that!) with Iran, please be advised that I am possibly the least pressured person ever to be in this position. I have all the time in the World, but Iran doesn't -- The clock is ticking! The reason some of the Media is doing so poorly with Subscribers and Viewers is because they no longer have credibility," the post read.

"Iran's Navy is lying at the bottom of the Sea, their Air Force is demolished, their Anti Aircraft and Radar Weaponry is gone, their leaders are no longer with us, the Blockade is airtight and strong and, from there, it only gets worse -- Time is not on their side! A Deal will only be made when it's appropriate and good for the United States of America, our Allies and, in fact, the rest of the World. President DONALD J. TRUMP," the post further read.