President Donald Trump publicly took the nuclear option off the table in the US conflict with Iran, telling reporters at a White House press briefing that “a nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody.” Trump claimed that US strikes had “decimated” Iranian forces without needing to escalate to the world’s most destructive weapon class.
From threats to de-escalation
On April 7, Trump had issued a pointed warning to Iran, threatening catastrophic consequences if the country did not meet US demands. Sixteen days later, on April 23, Trump closed that interpretive window.
At the point Trump made his remarks, a US-Israel coalition was actively negotiating a temporary ceasefire with Iran.
The ceasefire tightrope
