![\"'Don't](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130478718,imgsize-663490,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/trump-on-iran.jpg\" "\\"<p>.<\/p>\\"")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nUS President Donald Trump on Thursday used an Oval Office interaction with reporters to strike a defiant tone on Iran as he claimed that he was in no hurry to reach a deal. Trump also rejected the use of nuclear weapons and claimed that Washington had already inflicted major military damage on Tehran.Speaking to the reporters in the Oval Office, Trump also said Iran\u2019s leadership was in \u201cturmoil\u201d and suggested he was prepared to keep pressure on Tehran while negotiations continued.<\/p>\n The MAGA supremo, while interacting with the reporters, said that he wanted the best possible deal and was not prepared to be rushed into one. He sharply declined to set a deadline for Iran’s response to the latest US proposal saying, \u201cDon\u2019t rush me,\u201d while arguing that past wars had lasted much longer than this conflict.Brushing aside the questions about whether the conflict was stretching beyond the four-to-six week timeline, he said, \u201cI don’t want to rush myself,\u201d adding that Iran’s leadership “is in turmoil.”\u201cI wanna make the best deal. I could make a deal right now,\u201d Trump said during an exchange.The comment came as reporters pressed him on whether the war was moving slower than expected and whether he had changed course on the pace of the campaign.<\/p>\n Trump claimed that Iran\u2019s leadership was divided and struggling to agree on a common position. \u201cThey\u2019re fighting like cats and dogs over who\u2019s going to control. We\u2019ve created a real mess for them,\u201d he said, using the phrase to argue that US military and strategic pressure had weakened Tehran internally.He also said, \u201cWe\u2019ve hit about 75% of our targets. We stopped primarily because they wanted to have some peace,\u201d suggesting that the campaign had slowed after signs from Iran that it wanted de-escalation.He said the United States had already done the bulk of the work militarily and was now waiting to see whether Tehran would strike a deal.\u201cI took the country out militarily in the first four weeks. I took it out militarily,\u201d Trump said. \u201cNow all we’re doing is sitting back and seeing what deal (we make). And if they don’t want to make a deal, then I’ll finish it up militarily.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump also rejected any suggestion that he might resort to a nuclear strike against Iran. When a reporter asked whether he would consider using a nuclear weapon, he reacted sharply and dismissed the question.\u201cNo, I wouldn’t. We don’t need it. Why do I need it? Why would a stupid question like that be asked?\u201d Trump said. He then added, \u201cWhy would I use a nuclear weapon, when we’ve totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it. No, I wouldn’t use it. A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n He also addressed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil route, saying Iran had approached the US about reopening it but that he opposed the move because of the financial benefit it could give Tehran.\u201cIf we open the strait, that means they\u2019re going to make $500 million a day. I don\u2019t want them to make $500 million a day until they settle this thing. So I\u2019m the one that kept it closed,\u201d Trump said.<\/div>\n\n‘Don’t rush me’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
‘75% targets hit in Iran’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
‘Why do I need nuclear?’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Strait of Hormuz and economic pressure<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n