Donald Trump stated that the U.S. currently does not know who the real leader of Iran is, while affirming he does not intend to use nuclear weapons against Iran. He pointed out that without relying on nuclear arms, the U.S. has already inflicted significant damage on Iran.
On 23 Apr 2026 GMT+7, Donald Trump, the U.S. president, told reporters in the Oval Office at the White House that his team does not know who the true leader in Iran is. He cited divisions within Tehran’s government as one reason for extending the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely.
"They are trying to delay because they—we don’t know who to negotiate with," Trump told reporters, adding that the war would end "in not too long a time."
"They know who the leaders are in this country, but we don’t know who the leader is in Iran," Trump added. He recalled the regime changes, saying, "Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei is no longer alive; he passed away. He’s gone, and his entire team is gone. Then the second group came in, they are gone too. And now you have a third group, who are starting to worry that they might leave as well."
When asked if he would consider using nuclear weapons, Trump replied bluntly, "No."
"Why ask such a ridiculous question? Why would I need to use nuclear weapons?" Trump said, arguing that the U.S. has already "destroyed" Iran significantly without resorting to nuclear strikes.
Two weeks earlier, Trump warned that "all civilization will be destroyed tonight" if Iran refused to reach an agreement, raising speculation that he was implying a nuclear attack. However, the U.S. and Iran reached a ceasefire agreement before Trump acted on that threat.
Currently, tensions between the U.S. and Iran remain high, especially in the Strait of Hormuz. Recently, Donald Trump ordered the U.S. Navy to “shoot to destroy” any Iranian vessels laying mines in this crucial shipping route.
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Source:cnn