Trump defends US strikes on Iran, insists operation is limited, not a new war, and says goal is preventing nuclear escalation…reports Asian Lite News Desk
US President Donald Trump has defended United States military action against Iran, rejecting criticism that it represents a new war and insisting the operation is focused solely on preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, Trump said the strikes should not be viewed as part of a prolonged conflict and argued that his administration was acting to neutralise what he described as a serious nuclear threat.
“No. No,” Trump said when asked whether he had broken his long-standing pledge to avoid new wars.
“I had to stop a country, very powerful, very dangerous country from having a nuclear weapon because they’d use it,” he said.
He added that the action was in line with his “America first” approach and said it was necessary to protect both the United States and its allies.
“I’m doing our country a service. It’s America first,” he said.
Trump disputed the premise that he had guaranteed the US would never enter another conflict, insisting his position was opposed to “endless wars” rather than all military action.
“First of all, I didn’t guarantee no war,” he said.
“I don’t like these endless wars. This is not an endless war.”
The US President said the situation with Iran was limited in scope and would not turn into a long-term military engagement in the Middle East.
Trump also said he had ended the Obama-era nuclear agreement with Iran and later authorised military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
“I terminated the deal,” he said.
“Then I sent the B-2 bombers in about nine, 10 months ago. And they obliterated, totally obliterated the site.”
He claimed the operation had significantly reduced Iran’s nuclear capabilities and said the US had taken decisive action to remove what he called an immediate threat.
“We destroyed the capability of Iran in a matter of days. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it,” he added.
Trump rejected suggestions that the US would be drawn into a prolonged conflict.
“We’re not gonna be there,” he said.
“It’s not a quagmire. I just wiped out the military of a very dangerous country and I wiped out the nuclear threat.”
He said Washington remained open to diplomacy, adding that negotiations with Tehran were still ongoing.
“We’re almost finished. We’re gonna either have a deal, a strong deal, a meaningful deal,” he said.
“They cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
However, Trump warned that military options remained on the table if talks failed.
“I’m gonna do it either through negotiation where we’re very close to a deal, or I’m gonna blow the hell out of them, to be honest with you,” he said.
The dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme has remained a key issue in US foreign policy for more than two decades, with successive administrations relying on sanctions, diplomacy and international monitoring to prevent weapons development.
The latest remarks come amid continued tensions in the region and ongoing international efforts to manage Iran’s nuclear ambitions through diplomatic channels.
