US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Washington was making progress in its confrontation with Iran but had not yet decided how to secure a final victory, suggesting that further military action remained an option.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump indicated that the administration was approaching a decision on its next steps against the Islamic Republic.
“We just have to make a final decision. Which way do we want to win? Do we want to win the nice way or the not nice way?" Trump said.
The President also revealed that he had personally approached several European governments to determine whether they would assist the United States in its confrontation with Tehran.
According to Trump, those countries declined to participate, although he insisted that American forces did not require their assistance.
“We don't need any help, but I was testing them," he said.
Trump was also questioned about Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's unannounced visit to Israel on Monday, during which he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Asked whether he could disclose the subjects discussed during the meeting, Trump declined.
"I can't do that now, no."
The remarks come as the administration considers whether to resume major military strikes against Iran amid continuing tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Trump's comments followed a series of warnings from senior Iranian officials, including the Islamic Republic's new Defense Minister, Mehrdad Ahlaghki.
Earlier this week, Ahlaghki threatened severe retaliation if the United States launched another attack on Iran, warning that American military personnel could suffer casualties.
The Iranian minister maintained that Tehran was prepared to respond to additional military action and would not retreat in the face of American threats.
He specifically addressed reports that Washington might consider using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), commonly known as the “Mother of All Bombs", against Iranian targets.
Ahlaghki claimed that Iran had already prepared for such a scenario.
“We have taken the necessary measures to deal with such an action, and we continue our work with confidence," he declared.
He then warned Trump that an American strike could result in significant losses among US forces stationed in the region.
“If he drops one bomb, he should check how many of his forces he will have to remove from the region lying down," Ahlaghki said.
The possibility of deploying the MOAB against Iran had previously been raised during Trump's interview with Newsmax last week.
The President was asked about a CNN report suggesting that the United States was considering using the powerful conventional weapon against Iranian targets.
Trump did not explicitly confirm or deny that such an option was under consideration but emphasized that the bomb was not a nuclear weapon.
“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 also ruled out the need to employ nuclear weapons against Iran.
“No, I wouldn't use nuclear [against Iran]. We don't have to. We're the greatest nuclear power in the world."