U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting between the ambassadors of Israel and Lebanon in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, April 23. AP-Yonhap
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ruled out using a nuclear weapon in the war against Iran, noting that he hopes to make the "best" peace deal with the Islamic Republic and does not want to "rush" himself.
Trump made the remarks during a press availability, two days after he announced an extension of a ceasefire with Iran until Tehran submits a "unified" proposal. His administration believes Iran is grappling with internal division between moderates and hard-liners, which makes it difficult to come up with a coherent response.
"Why would I use a nuclear weapon? We've totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it," he told reporters at the White House, responding to a question about whether he would use a nuclear weapon in the war, which he decried as "stupid."
"No, I wouldn't use it. A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody," he added.
Asked how long he is willing to wait until Iran submits a proposal, Trump expressed his intention not to "rush."
"Don't rush me ... We were in Vietnam for 18 years. We were in Iraq for many, many years ... We were four and a half, almost five years in World War II. We were in the Korean War for seven years," he said.
"I've been doing this for six weeks and their military is totally defeated."
Touching on the Iranian leadership, Trump said that it is "in turmoil," and that "they are fighting like cats and dogs for who's going to control" the country.
"They want to make a deal. We've been speaking to them, but they don't even know who is leading the country," he said.
Source: Korea Times News
