- By Priyanka Koul
- Sat, 02 May 2026 08:00 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
US President Donald Trump on Friday defended military action against Iran’s nuclear programme, saying it was essential to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons and threatening Israel, the Gulf region, and Europe.
While speaking at the Villages Charter School in Florida, Trump said the operation was aimed at ensuring Iran could not emerge as a nuclear power.
"Because we have to take a little journey down to a beautiful country known as Iran, and we have to make sure that they don't have a nuclear weapon."
He added, "We stopped them with the B2 bombers. If we didn't do that, they would've had a nuclear weapon. Israel, the Middle East, and Europe would have been blown to pieces."
Trump also claimed that Iran’s military capabilities had been severely weakened and suggested that its leadership had suffered major losses.
"And Iran is getting decimated. They have no navy. They have no air force. They have no anti-aircraft equipment. They have no radar. They have no leaders; their leaders are all gone," Trump said.
Addressing ongoing negotiations, Trump said discussions with Iran were not advancing in a satisfactory manner.
"They're not coming through with the kind of deal that we have to have, and we're going to get this thing done properly," he said.
He further stressed that the United States would not withdraw prematurely and risk facing a renewed threat in the near future.
"We're not going to leave early and have this kind of problem arise in three more years," Trump said.
Trump also said, "They want to make a deal, but I'm not satisfied with it, so we'll see what happens."
While he did not specify which parts of the proposal he found unacceptable, Trump expressed doubts about whether Iran’s leadership would ultimately reach a final agreement.
"They've made strides, but I'm not sure if they ever get there," Trump added while speaking on the White House’s South Lawn.
The US President also pointed to internal divisions within Iran’s leadership, suggesting that political fragmentation could be complicating negotiations.
"The leadership is very disjointed. It's got two to three groups, maybe four, and it's a very disjointed leadership. And with that being said, they all want to make a deal, but they're all messed up," Trump said.