US President Donald Trump on Wednesday sharpened his rhetoric against Iran, warning that Washington could escalate its response if Tehran refuses to fall in line on the nuclear issue.
Speaking during a commencement ceremony at the US Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut, Trump declared that Iran would “never” be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon and suggested that military pressure could intensify if negotiations do not move in the direction the US wants.
The remarks come at a time when talks surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme continue to remain uncertain, with Trump increasingly signalling impatience over the pace of engagement. His latest comments also reflect a broader push by his administration to project military strength alongside its aggressive border and trade policies.
“We will not let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all. It’s very simple,” Trump said while addressing graduating cadets in New London. “They will not have a nuclear weapon, and they want to make a deal so badly.”
He added: “We may have to hit them even harder, but maybe not.”
Trump used the address to repeatedly link the Coast Guard’s role to US operations targeting Iranian oil shipments, maritime enforcement and anti-drug missions. According to the President, Coast Guard tactical teams had helped intercept sanctioned Iranian oil vessels and contributed to what he called efforts to ensure Tehran never acquires nuclear capability.
The US President also praised the armed service’s role in narcotics seizures and maritime security operations.
Claiming the Coast Guard was central to building a maritime “Wall of Steel”, Trump said the service had seized more than “206 million lethal doses” of illegal narcotics since his return to office.
Trump says Iran talks are taking longer than expected
Later, while speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump admitted negotiations with Iran were taking longer than anticipated and hinted that tougher options remained on the table if diplomacy stalled.
“Ideally, I’d like to see a few people killed as opposed to a lot,” Trump said when asked about a possible arrangement involving the Strait of Hormuz. “We do it another way, but I’d like to see a few.”
He also claimed anger was rising inside Iran because of deteriorating living conditions.
“There’s a lot of anger now in Iran, cause people are living so badly,” he said. “There’s a lot of foment that we haven’t seen so much.”
Comparing the current situation with past US military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, Trump argued that recent American operations had resulted in significantly fewer casualties.
“In other wars, you lost hundreds of thousands of people,” he said. “Here we lost 13 people. Now, 13 people were too much?”
At one point, Trump also claimed the United States had effectively “taken over Iran”, though he did not elaborate on the statement.