Trump: If Iran had nukes, it would have ‘blown up’ Israel, Middle East and parts of Europe

American forces have redirected 100 commercial vessels over the past 60 days since resuming the “steel wall” blockade of Iran, U.S. Central Command said on Saturday.

By JNS

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday defended his decision to go to war against Iran, saying that if the regime in Tehran acquired nuclear weapons, it would target Israel and the entire Middle East, as well as Europe.

“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, it’s very simple,” Trump said.

“They were two weeks away from having a nuclear weapon, if they had it they would have blown up Israel, they would have blown up the Middle East, and they would have hit [some of] Europe’s cities … and they would have probably hit us too before we put out the fire,” he continued.

Trump said that the war would end “very soon,” probably “right after” the U.S. midterm elections in November.

.@POTUS: “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple.” pic.twitter.com/rNo1oTuVlk

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 12, 2026

The comments come amid intermittent U.S. retaliatory strikes on Iranian targets, including Tuesday’s destruction of five Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-linked crude oil tankers.

The attacks came after the IRGC targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the previous two days, CENTCOM said on Wednesday.

The U.S. warship evaded both Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters. No American personnel were injured, according to the statement.

Overnight Tuesday, Jordan’s air defenses intercepted 18 of 20 ballistic missiles fired from Iran toward the kingdom, with the remaining two falling in unpopulated areas and no casualties reported, a Jordanian army spokesperson told Amman’s official Petra News Agency.

The next day, the IRGC said it targeted 10 ships in the Strait of Hormuz, including two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers, according to Tehran’s state-run IRNA news agency.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian taunted the Trump administration on Saturday, tweeting: “If Americans are warriors, let them face our valiant military forces.

“Why wage war on civilian infrastructure, food supplies, and livelihoods?” he wrote, referring to the U.S. naval blockade of Iran and accompanying economic sanctions. “Our people can’t be bullied into submission. Iran won’t surrender.”

American forces have redirected 100 commercial vessels over the past 60 days since resuming the “steel wall” blockade of Iran, U.S. Central Command said on Saturday.

“Zero ships have passed through the blockade without U.S. forces allowing. American service members remain laser focused on this mission,” it added.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to defeat Iran and prevent the establishment of terrorist armies along Israel’s borders, speaking during a visit to the “crown of Hermon,” the strategic high ground of Mount Hermon, a 9,232-foot (2,814-meter) mountain massif on the borders with Lebanon and Syria.

“We are committed to defeating the terrorist regime in Iran,” he said. “We are very close to it. We know that the entire axis will ultimately fall.”

Days earlier, the premier warned that the Islamic Republic would suffer a devastating blow if it dared strike the State of Israel.

“If Iran makes a mistake and attacks us, it will suffer a blow it cannot even imagine,” he said during a toast to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, at Sunday’s Cabinet meeting. “We are determined to complete the mission of toppling the regime—its end is near.”