President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States and Israel have already destroyed Iran's nuclear program and warned that Tehran would face renewed military action if it attempts to rebuild, as new reports allege the regime is pursuing chemical and biological warheads for its ballistic missiles.
Speaking at Mar-a-Lago alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump issued a blunt warning to Tehran over its nuclear and missile ambitions.
"Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we're going to have to knock them down," Trump said. "We'll knock the hell out of them." He added that Iran would be "much smarter" to pursue a deal.
IRAN, ISRAEL AND US AGREE THAT ISLAMIC REPUBLIC NUCLEAR SITES WERE 'BADLY DAMAGED' DESPITE LEAKED INTEL REPORT
Trump framed Iran's defeat as central to regional stability, claiming joint U.S.-Israeli military action had fundamentally altered the Middle East balance.
"We just won a big war together," he said. "If we didn't beat Iran, you wouldn't have had peace in the Middle East. We wiped it out."
Pressed on whether he would support further Israeli military action if Iran continues advancing its missile or nuclear programs, Trump responded affirmatively. "If they continue with the missiles - yes," he said. "The nuclear - absolutely."
The Trump-Netanyahu meeting came as Iran's currency has hit record lows, and shopkeepers in Tehran have staged strikes over soaring inflation and a collapsing economy.
TRUMP WOULD STRIKE IRAN 'WITHOUT QUESTION' IF IT RESTARTS NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM
Asked whether he would support the overthrow of Iran's regime, Trump rejected the idea while pointing to unrest inside the country.
"I'm not going to talk about overthrow of a regime," he said. "But they have tremendous inflation. Their economy is busted." Trump added that protests are frequently met with lethal force by Iranian authorities.
The remarks followed a report Sunday by Iran International alleging that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is accelerating work on unconventional missile payloads, including chemical and biological options, citing unnamed military and security sources.
Iran denies pursuing chemical or biological weapons and maintains its missile program is defensive. Tehran ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997 and analysts say the reported developments fit a broader pattern.
"The fact that Tehran's ballistic missiles can carry unconventional payloads is not new," said Behnam Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Taleblu pointed to Iran's recent military behavior.
"What should underscore the chemical threat was Tehran's use of warheads with cluster munitions against Israel during the 12-day war," he said. "These warheads can easily carry canisters for poison gas. In short, the conflict contained a dry run for a potential chemical attack."
He added that Iran's history heightens concern, citing Tehran's past use of chemical agents during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s and its transfer of such weapons to Libya.
