Bombing Iran with a nuclear weapon: Donald Trump settles the debate

24th April 2026

2 minutes read

Bombing Iran with a nuclear weapon: Donald Trump settles the debate

U.S. President Donald Trump settled the controversy over whether his country would use nuclear weapons to bomb Iran, after Vice President JD Vance warned that the United States was prepared to destroy Iran with weapons never used before.

On Thursday, the U.S. president ruled out striking Iran with a nuclear weapon, after previously threatening to completely destroy Iranian civilization. Speaking to reporters at the White House, he said, “No, I will not use it.”

He added, “Why would I use a nuclear weapon when we destroyed them in a very conventional way without using it?” He continued, “No one should be allowed to use a nuclear weapon.”

On April 7, Trump had threatened Iran by saying, “An entire civilization will die tonight and will never return.” He added, “I don’t want that, but it will probably happen. Who knows?” before approving a ceasefire hours later and subsequently extending it.

Earlier, the U.S. vice president had warned that the country was prepared to destroy Iran with weapons never used before, but the White House denied that he had hinted at nuclear strikes.

During talks held in Islamabad with Iran, Vance urged Tehran to make further concessions regarding its nuclear program.

Trump told reporters that he wanted Iran to be “completely without any nuclear weapons it might seek to use to blow up one of our cities or the entire Middle East.”

Although Iran denies seeking to obtain a nuclear weapon, it has enriched uranium to levels close to those required for manufacturing nuclear weapons.

The United States is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in wartime, leading to the destruction of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II and resulting in 214,000 deaths.

It is widely believed that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, although it does not officially acknowledge this.

Trump had previously called for the resumption of nuclear testing after accusing the United States, China, and Russia of conducting secret nuclear tests.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama had advocated for a world without nuclear weapons, but his administration considered the U.S. nuclear arsenal to be a deterrent.