Trump on Iranian nuclear ambitions: ‘That will never happen’

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. Navy is making sure Iran can never acquire a nuclear weapon.

“That will never happen,” Trump said of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, as he announced a new shipyard in Maryland.

Trump noted Iran’s air force, navy, radar and anti-aircraft equipment are all gone. The Islamic Republic’s 159 ships are “lying at the bottom of the sea,” he continued.

Iran’s missile and drone manufacturing capacity is “way down” and “will soon be gone,” he said, adding, “We know exactly where the rest of it is.”

“Their economy is in ruins,” he continued. “And thanks to the men and women of America’s armed forces, dozens of Iran’s terrorist leaders have been blown out of existence and straight through to the gates of hell.”

“The biggest problem I have,” Trump said, “is nobody knows who the hell is running the country. But maybe that’s a good thing.”

Rubio: Iran missed ‘multiple opportunities’ for nuclear agreement

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that Iran had squandered multiple opportunities to reach agreements on its nuclear program and that its economy was in “total and complete freefall.”

Speaking alongside his Greek counterpart during a visit to Athens, Rubio said the Islamic Republic had lost its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.

He credited Trump with destroying Iran’s military capabilities as part of “Operation Epic Fury.”

“They will never have a nuclear weapon, period. Not as long as President Trump is in office,” Rubio declared.

“There’s almost as much oil flowing out now as there was before this conflict began. So they’ve lost complete control of the straits,” he said.

“The Iranian economy is about to reach a place that few countries in the world have been in terms of how bad it’s going to get,” continued Washington’s top diplomat.

“It’s all the fault of the radical Shi’ite clerics that make the decisions in that country,” Rubio said. “Every dollar and every penny that regime gets, they don’t spend it on roads or bridges or helping improve the lives of the Iranian people. They spend that money on Hezbollah and Hamas and militias to fire rockets out of Iraq and the Houthis.”

Vance on Iran: ‘We’re not going to trade words for actions’

U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Reuters on Monday that Iran must make a “meaningful” cut to its nuclear enrichment capacity to reach a deal ending the seven-month war.

“If you don’t want a nuclear weapon, then why do you need 60% enriched fuel?” the vice president asked in an interview with the news agency.

Vance said Washington remains open to a deal but wants concrete concessions from the Islamic Republic. “We’re not going to trade words for actions,” he said.

He added that it remains unclear who makes decisions in Tehran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was eliminated in the joint U.S.-Israeli opening strike of the war.

“One of the things we picked up on is it’s not totally clear how their country makes decisions,” Vance said.

Vance declined to say whether he was still leading the talks toward an agreement.

“We’re certainly involved,” he said. “Ultimately, the president of the United States is driving things.”

IRGC calls Oct. 7 attack ‘beginning of the end for Zionism’

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday night marked the third anniversary of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack by calling it the “beginning of the end for Zionism” and claiming the terrorist assault “shattered” the image of the Israeli military’s “invincibility.”

The IRGC statement also claimed that regional strategic conditions had shifted in favor of Tehran and its allies, and warned that any new military action against the Islamic Republic would draw a “painful and devastating response.”

Herzog: Middle East quietly cooperating against Iran’s ‘empire of proxies’

Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Fox News on Monday that the entire region believes Iran and its “jihadist regime” cannot be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

“One thing that President Trump repeats all the time correctly is that we are dealing with an empire of evil,” Herzog told Dana Perino, host of “America’s Newsroom.”

The Israeli head of state said Tehran seeks to “radicalize the world” and “get all the way to Europe and the United States,” adding that “they must not have any access to nuclear capabilities at all.”

Herzog said the entire region shares that view, though not always openly. “Under the surface there is an effort to cooperate and prevent this empire of proxies from tilting the balance,” he said.

The president pointed to Yemen, where “a small tribe,” meaning Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists, are “blocking a main artery of world trade.”

“Are we going to cave in to terror, harassment, blackmail or not? That’s why the war with Iran is so essential,” Herzog said.

10 Western Hemisphere nations condemn Iran, terror proxies

The United States and nine other Western Hemisphere countries on Monday condemned Iran and its terrorist proxies for plotting attacks and “other malign influence operations” in the region, according to a joint statement published by the U.S. State Department.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies must halt these actions now,” the statement said.

The signatories also accused Tehran of “illicit fundraising, political interference and foreign influence activities, and operations meant to bolster terrorist networks, coerce perceived enemies, compromise legal or administrative processes, and harm regional security.”

The 10 nations pledged further measures and closer cooperation to address the threat.

The statement was signed by the United States, Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Peru and Paraguay.

It followed a counterterrorism forum co-hosted last month by the U.S. and Paraguay. According to the State Department, the forum aimed to “enhance law-enforcement cooperation among partners in our hemisphere on disrupting Iranian terrorist activity in our region.”

Bessent: Pressure campaign halted Iran crude tanker loading

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that the Trump administration’s sweeping sanctions campaign against Tehran has cut off all crude oil tanker loading and driven the Iranian rial to record lows.

Writing on X, Bessent credited the pressure effort, dubbed “Operation Economic Outcast,” with pushing Iran into “one of the most difficult periods in its history,” citing acknowledgment by Iranian officials.

“Operation Economic Outcast is delivering results: the rial has plunged to record lows, Iran loaded zero crude oil onto tankers last month, and even Iran’s top security official has admitted the country is facing one of the most difficult periods in its history,” Bessent wrote.

“The Iranian regime allows its own people to suffer while it pours resources into terrorism,” he continued. “Operation Economic Outcast will not stop until the Iranian regime understands that the Trump Administration will never allow the regime to fund terrorism and develop a nuclear weapon.”