Trump rules out nuclear weapons, ground troops in Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he does not intend to use nuclear weapons against Iran or foresee deploying ground troops in the country.

Speaking in an interview with Newsmax, broadcast Thursday evening, he said: “I wouldn’t use nuclear. We don’t have to. We’re the greatest nuclear power in the world.”

The right-wing cable outlet asked Trump about reports that Washington was considering using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, or MOAB, widely known as the “Mother of All Bombs.”

“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 said, without specifically confirming or denying the reports.

When asked if he would put “troops on the ground,” Trump said: “No, I don’t see that, I don’t see it.”

The MOAB is the largest non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal. It was used in combat in 2017 against ISIS militants in Afghanistan.

Earlier on Thursday, CNN reported that the U.S. military has developed new strike plans to target Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites.

The strikes could take place if Trump orders combat operations to resume, either before or after the midterm elections, the outlet reported. The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Trump said on Oct. 8 that he would not order a resumption of military strikes before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said that the threat remains “severe” in the Strait of Hormuz, after the Singapore-registered container ship GFS Pride was struck by an unknown projectile, caught fire and later sank.

The UKMTO added that “deliberate hostile action” was highly likely and said it had recorded eight attacks in the critical waterway since Oct. 11.