US President Donald Trump described the ongoing confrontation with Iran as “not a war", claiming that Washington has made significant progress in dealing with Tehran and is now extracting more oil than it did before the conflict.
“We made a lot of progress with Iran. We’re taking out more oil now than we were before the war. It’s not a war. It can’t be a war when for five months nobody was hurt, killed, or anything else. It’s not a war," Donald Trump said.
Donald Trump’s remarks come amid continued uncertainty over the status of the US military campaign against Iran and the possibility of fresh strikes. His insistence that the situation does not amount to a war comes even as his administration continues to discuss military options and Washington’s confrontation with Tehran remains a major regional concern.
The US President also claimed that Israel and the entire Middle East would not exist today if his administration had not prevented Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Donald Trump said his role in stopping Iran’s nuclear ambitions was widely known but rarely acknowledged.
“Israel and, in fact, the entire Middle East, WOULD NOT EXIST TODAY if I did not stop Iran from having a Nuclear Weapon. Nobody wants to say that, but everybody knows it’s true!" he wrote.
Donald Trump has repeatedly portrayed the US military campaign against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure as a success. Washington and Israel launched major strikes against Iranian nuclear and military facilities in 2025 and again in 2026, citing the prevention of an Iranian nuclear weapon as a key objective.
However, the extent of the damage to Iran’s nuclear programme remains uncertain. A Congressional Research Service assessment published in October said it was unclear how far the strikes had affected Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons. It also noted that previous assessments had concluded that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.
Iran has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons, maintaining that its nuclear programme is peaceful.
