US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that without the US strikes on Iran, a nuclear war would have broken out and escalated into World War III, framing the campaign as a necessity rather than a war of choice.
"This is a war that there would have been nothing left," Trump said, arguing the US had done "a great thing" by acting.
He warned that anyone who supported a nuclear-armed Iran had "something wrong" with them, claiming Tehran would have immediately used such weapons to destroy the broader Middle East, not just Israel.
Iran has consistently rejected both characterizations. Iranian officials have repeatedly denied pursuing nuclear weapons, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has insisted that Tehran only targets US military bases and installations in the region, not neighboring countries themselves.
The claims echo the justifications Trump offered at the outset of the campaign, when he cited Iran's stockpile of 60% enriched uranium, which US envoy Steve Witkoff said was enough for multiple nuclear devices, as a core reason for launching the strikes.
The US-Israeli strikes on Iran began Feb. 28 and have reportedly killed more than 1,200 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Fourteen US service members have been killed since the beginning of the campaign.
