Trump rules out nuclear weapons and ground troops in Iran; discusses non-nuclear MOAB option
In a Thursday Newsmax interview from the White House, President Donald Trump said he would not use nuclear weapons against Iran — "I wouldn't use nuclear. We don't have to" — and said he did not foresee putting U.S. ground troops into Iran. Asked about reports that the Pentagon had prepared strike options including the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, or MOAB, Trump stressed the weapon "is not nuclear" and is "just an extremely large bomb," without saying he had authorized its use. He also said the United States was looking at striking Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected Iranian nuclear site, and predicted the Iran war would end "very soon" one way or the other as negotiations continue; Fox News and CNBC reported the same remarks alongside Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's warning that "bombs and missiles" would not force Tehran to surrender.