‘What a stupid question’: Trump rules out idea of nuking Iran amid renewed tensions
US president claims Tehran ‘totally defeated militarily’ as he reportedly weighs limited strikes near Hormuz; several incidents reported in waterway as Tehran pushes for return to talks
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Asked whether he has ruled out using a nuclear weapon against Iran, US President Donald Trump said Monday that he has, calling the question “stupid,” as the US and Iran traded fire again after a lull in fighting.
“I would never say that but the answer is yes,” Trump told a reporter in the Oval Office. “There is no reason for it… What a stupid question.”
“They’re totally defeated militarily, and now I should use a nuclear weapon on them? What a stupid question,” he repeated.
Trump in the past has threatened to destroy Iran’s civilization, but hasn’t ever threatened to do so using a nuclear weapon.
The exchange came as Axios reported that the US president is considering returning to a campaign of “limited” strikes against Iran, a day after the two sides briefly exchanged fire.
According to three US officials quoted in the report, the US is weighing strikes on missile and radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz to prevent Iran from launching projectiles at ships in the waterway.
"Have you ruled out using a nuclear weapon against Iran?"@POTUS: "They're totally defeated militarily — so I defeat them and now I should use a nuclear weapon on top of them? What a stupid question." pic.twitter.com/Gv9dXAJ9Zu
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 31, 2026
One official quoted in the report said the US plan, developed by the US military Central Command (CENTCOM) and approved by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, would look to “mow the lawn,” and reduce the risk of attacks on commercial ships and other vessels in the Strait.
CENTCOM is concerned that Iran is actively trying to rebuild its radar and missile capabilities near the key waterway, the report said, adding that a recent incident involving a missile fired at a US F-35 fighter jet escorting a ship through the Strait has raised US eyebrows.
While the missile wasn’t close enough to constitute a reach threat to the US aircraft, the sources told Axios, it was a signal that Iran is rebuilding its capabilities in the area, potentially necessitating a return to US strikes.
The plan was authored and approved days before the recent exchange of fire, and the outlet suggested that Trump could now greenlight attack plans given the escalation.
According to the officials, Trump was “leaning” toward approving a return to strikes, but after the recent escalation, he could look to hit back harder, with the US president saying Monday that “There will be a response” to the Iranian strikes, adding: “We’re going to hit them hard.”
Incidents in Hormuz
The Axios report came as Iran reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps knocked out a US drone over Hormuz on Monday evening, and Iran’s armed forces central command reiterated a warning to its regional neighbors not to allow the US to use their territory to carry out attacks.
Additionally, a tanker leaving the strait reported being hit by three “unknown projectiles” just off the northeastern edge of Oman, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said late Monday, noting that there were no known casualties or environmental impact.
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Iranian media also reported that a Saudi oil tanker was stopped while transiting through the southern corridor of the Strait of Hormuz. There was no immediate Saudi confirmation.
Israel and the US launched the war on Iran on February 28 with sweeping strikes across the country, in a bid to destabilize its regime and destroy its ballistic missile and nuclear programs. Iran has since closed the Strait of Hormuz, which previously carried about a fifth of the world’s commercial oil shipments, and US-Iran peace talks have since faltered over control of the strait.
Trump has claimed the US navy has “total control” of the strait, with Washington last week announcing it had completed clearing explosives from the waterway.
Iran, however, insists it is in charge of the sea lane. The Revolutionary Guards said Monday that a “rogue” oil tanker caught fire near the strait after it hit two mines while attempting to transit an “illegal route.”
Earlier on Monday, Trump called Iran “a Failed Nation,” saying on social media that its military was decimated, its finances were crumbling “and their leadership is in total disarray and incapable of properly representing the country.”
Talks between the two sides have collapsed, though Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that Tehran would “immediately” reciprocate if the US returned to the June memorandum of understanding that the two sides reached, which was aimed at ending their war.
“I state explicitly that if the United States returns to its commitments under the aforementioned memorandum of understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately take reciprocal action,” Pezeshkian said at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, according to the website of the Iranian presidency.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also pushed for a return to talks, which the US has ruled out, saying on Monday that “the solution is completely clear and straightforward: the United States must return to its commitments.”
“In that case, everything can be put back on the right track,” he said.
The Times of Israel Community.