US President Donald Trump on Thursday ruled out the possibility that he would use a nuclear weapon against Iran, and also said he has no plans to deploy ground troops to the Islamic Republic.
Speaking in an interview with Newsmax, Trump was asked about the CNN report stating that the US was considering using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), widely known as the “Mother of All Bombs", against Iran.
While Trump did not directly confirm or deny the report, he replied, “The mother of all bombs is not nuclear. It's not nuclear at all. This is just an extremely large bomb. It's like a tiny nuclear bomb. But the mother of all bombs is one big bomb, but it's not nuclear."
He then added, “No, I wouldn't use nuclear [against Iran]. We don't have to. We're the greatest nuclear power in the world."
In the interview, Trump was also asked about Israel, saying that Israeli officials would welcome his involvement in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reelection campaign, but declining to say whether he would intervene ahead of the Knesset elections.
Asked whether he intended to play a role in the Israeli election campaign as Netanyahu seeks another term in office, the President replied, "Well, they'd like me to be. Yeah, they'd like me to be. Look, I've had a very good relationship with him. We've had good success together."
However, when asked whether he personally trusted Netanyahu, Trump offered a broader assessment of his attitude toward political figures.
"I don't trust anybody, honestly," he replied. "I don't trust anybody. In the world of politics, I don't trust anybody."
Trump went on to highlight the partnership between Washington and Jerusalem during the war against Iran, pointing to the results of joint military operations that significantly weakened the Iranian regime's leadership and military capabilities.
"We had a very successful partnership, you know, in terms of a military partnership," Trump said.
He also claimed to enjoy exceptionally strong support among the Israeli public.
"The people of Israel, they say if I ran for prime minister, I'd get 99% of them," he remarked.
Thursday's interview followed comments Trump made earlier this week suggesting that he might publicly support a candidate in Israel's upcoming election.
When asked whether he planned to issue an endorsement before Israelis head to the polls later this month, the president said he had not reached a decision.
"I haven't thought about it. Maybe I'll do something. We may endorse somebody in these elections," Trump said.
The interview aired amid wider speculation that Washington could resume strikes against Iranian targets before the congressional elections, despite his earlier announcement of a temporary pause in military action.
Last Thursday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the United States would not carry out additional strikes against Iran until after November 3.
However, he told reporters Monday that the election timetable would not determine his administration's policy toward Tehran.
During another campaign rally in Alaska on Tuesday night, Trump adopted a more threatening tone, suggesting that further American action against Iran could be imminent.
"Oh, wait till you see what we do to Iran. We're going to do a number. Wait till you see," he told supporters.
"They're just waiting. They're waiting. Wait till you see what we do to Iran, because we've sort of had it. You know, we've had it," Trump continued.
He also reiterated his position that Iran would not be permitted to develop a nuclear weapon, declaring, "But, you know, it doesn't matter. The big thing is they were not going to have a nuclear weapon, and they won't. That's buried under thousands of tons of rock."