Washington, Aug 2026 : US President Donald Trump has said the United States is “essentially controlling” strategic waterways connected to Iran and is moving towards taking complete control of them, while reiterating that Tehran will never be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, broadcast by 77 WABC Radio. The US President defended his military campaign against Iran and acknowledged that the conflict could result in higher energy and petrol prices for American consumers.
“Now with Iran, they will never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “We’re controlling, essentially controlling and soon controlling the Straits. We’re doing very well with Iran.”
Trump did not specify which waterways he was referring to in the portion of the interview released on Wednesday. His comments came amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and continued concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme and regional military capabilities.
According to Trump, Iran's military leadership and armed forces have suffered significant losses, including damage to its navy and air force. He said the weakening of Iran’s leadership could make diplomatic negotiations more difficult because many senior figures were no longer available to participate in any potential agreement.
“Part of the problem is so many of the leaders are gone. It’s not easy to make a deal. Nobody knows who’s leading,” Trump said.
The US President also acknowledged that the military confrontation could have economic consequences for Americans, particularly through higher energy and petrol prices. However, he argued that such costs were necessary to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
“And I tell them, they’ll be a little higher for your energy cost, but they’ll be a little bit higher for gasoline,” Trump said, stressing that Washington could not allow Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons.
Trump claimed that Iran had been “militarily wiped out” and had suffered substantial damage to its ability to manufacture missiles and drones. He also pointed to economic difficulties, including inflation, a weaker currency and problems involving military personnel, as signs that Tehran was under growing pressure.
“The reason I did it, and we had no choice, and I would’ve done it again a hundred times, they cannot have a nuclear weapon, and they won’t be having a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
He also defended the use of US B-2 stealth bombers in strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump claimed the operation was carried out during the night and that the bombs successfully struck their intended targets.
“When we hit them with the B-2 bombers, they were exactly two weeks away from having a nuclear weapon,” he said, arguing that immediate military action was necessary to prevent Iran from reaching that capability.
Trump further warned that a nuclear-armed Iran could pose a serious threat to Israel and other countries across the Middle East. He mentioned Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain among countries that he said had faced Iranian missile attacks.
“There would be no Israel if there was no Donald Trump,” he said, adding that he believed the wider Middle East could have faced catastrophic consequences if Iran had acquired a nuclear weapon.
Beyond Iran, Trump used the interview to discuss several other issues facing his administration, including Venezuela, immigration, tariffs and the US economy.
On trade policy, he argued that tariffs were encouraging companies to bring manufacturing operations back to the United States. He specifically cited the automobile, semiconductor, pharmaceutical and medical equipment sectors, claiming that new investments and construction projects represented an economic “renaissance”.
The interview also carried particular significance because of Cohen’s past relationship with Trump. Cohen served for years as Trump’s personal lawyer and was once regarded as a close confidant and political fixer. Their relationship later deteriorated dramatically, with Cohen becoming a prominent critic of the President and testifying against him.
Trump’s latest comments underline his continued focus on preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, while also signalling that Washington is prepared to accept higher energy costs and sustained military pressure in pursuit of that objective.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
