Trump Says Iran Is ‘Incapable’ Of Building Nuclear Weapon, US Will Be Out ‘Pretty Quickly’

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States plans to leave Iran "pretty quickly" after achieving its immediate military objectives, while warning that Washington could return for targeted strikes if required. The remarks came as tensions in the region remained high and just hours before Trump was due to address Americans on the state of the conflict.

Trump Signals Short US Presence In Iran

Speaking to Reuters when asked when the United States would consider the Iran war over, Trump said, "I can't tell you exactly .... we're going to be out pretty quickly."

The comment suggested that while Washington may not be looking at a prolonged military engagement in Iran, it is keeping the door open for future intervention depending on developments on the ground.

Trump also argued that the current US action had already achieved a key strategic goal by crippling Iran's nuclear capabilities.

'They Won't Have A Nuclear Weapon': Trump's Warning

Reiterating his hardline position on Tehran, Trump said the US campaign had ensured Iran would not be able to develop a nuclear weapon.

"They won't have a nuclear weapon because they are incapable of that now, and then I'll ?leave, and I'll take everybody with me, and if we have to we'll ?come back to do spot hits," Trump said.

The Republican leader's remarks underscored his administration's apparent attempt to project a limited military mission, while at the same time retaining the option of launching what he described as "spot hits" in the future if Iran regains military or nuclear capabilities.

Trump Repeats NATO Withdrawal Remark

Alongside his comments on Iran, Trump also said he is "absolutely" considering an attempt to pull the United States out of NATO, reviving a position that has repeatedly sparked alarm among US allies and defence analysts.

The statement adds another layer of uncertainty to Washington's global strategic posture at a time when the Iran conflict has already raised questions about US commitments in multiple theatres.

Ceasefire Talk Linked To Strait Of Hormuz

Earlier in the day, Trump said that Iran's president, whom he described as "much less radicalised" and "far more intelligent" than his predecessors, wanted a ceasefire.

However, Trump claimed such a ceasefire would only materialise when the Strait of Hormuz is "open, free, clear", linking any de-escalation directly to freedom of navigation through one of the world's most critical oil shipping routes.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi addressed the standoff over the strategic waterway and asserted that the Strait of Hormuz lies within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, making it subject to what he described as strategic wartime use.

"Only for the ships of those who are at war with us, this strait is closed. That is normal during war - we cannot let our enemies use our territorial waters for commerce," he said.

His remarks signalled that Tehran may continue restricting access for adversarial vessels, a move that could deepen the regional crisis and further complicate any ceasefire effort.