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United States (US) President Donald Trump has said Iran would pose a threat to Israel, the Middle East, Europe and the US if it becomes a nuclear-armed state.
Iran pursued a nuclear weapons programme in the past but halted it around 2003. However, it now has an advanced nuclear programme, including enriching uranium to high levels—a capability that could be used to build a weapon if it chose to.
Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, but many countries, including the US, worry it is now closer to developing a nuclear weapon and could do so relatively quickly if it decided.
.@POTUS: “You cannot give Iran a nuclear weapon — because they would use it on a place called Israel very quickly, and they would use it in the Middle East, and they would use it in Europe, and we’d be next. And it’s NOT going to happen.” pic.twitter.com/GISUcpDvnR
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 2, 2026
Trump has repeatedly maintained that Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. Speaking on Friday, he said Iran would never have a nuclear weapon because it would pose a threat to other countries, including the US.
“You cannot give Iran a nuclear weapon because they would use it on a place called Israel very quickly, and they would use it in the Middle East, and they would use it in Europe, and we’d be next. And it’s not going to happen,” he said.
He added that the US had decapitated Iran’s military leadership and claimed that no one was willing to lead the country following the death of its former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on February 28, 2026.
“We’ve taken their air forces, nonexistent. It’s gone. Their navy. They had a very strong navy. They had the strongest navy by far in the Middle East, many times over. They have 159 ships. Every single ship is at the bottom of the sea right now,” Trump added.
“They have no anti-aircraft capacity. They have no radar. They have no leaders. Actually, their leaders are all gone. It’s part of our problem. We don’t know who the hell we’re dealing with. It’s the only country in the world where nobody wants to be a leader.”
