After brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Iran following nearly two weeks of intense warfare, US President Donald Trump claimed the nuclear threat from Tehran has been “obliterated” and downplayed the need for renewed negotiations.
Speaking at the NATO summit in The Hague, Trump told reporters that while talks with Iran may occur next week, a formal agreement might not be necessary. “They had a war, they fought, and now they’re going back to their world,” Trump said. “I don’t care if I have an agreement or not.”
Iran, meanwhile, rejected claims that it had agreed to future talks. Its parliament moved to reduce cooperation with international nuclear inspectors and reaffirmed its right to maintain a nuclear program. Iranian officials also questioned the trustworthiness of the US following recent strikes.
Trump insisted the US had decisively destroyed Iran’s nuclear capability, particularly the deeply buried Fordo facility. “The site is obliterated,” he claimed. “There’s no way to even get down there. The whole thing is collapsed.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reinforced Trump’s statement, saying any speculation that Fordo was intact was “buried under a mountain of rubble.” Trump added that he’s relying on American—not Israeli—intelligence and promised a full report soon.
Despite Trump’s confident tone, skepticism remains. Iran has not verified damage to its key sites and reports suggest enriched uranium may have been moved before the strikes. Still, Trump emphasized that “they’re not going to go nuclear.”
The former president also dismissed reports that Israel pushed the US into the war, insisting the decision to strike was based on shared intelligence and national interest. “We had a great victory,” Trump declared. “Now it’s time to go home. But if it starts again? It might.”
