Bangladesh, April 24 -- US President Donald Trump has rejected suggestions that Washington might resort to nuclear weapons against Iran, calling such speculation “stupid” while insisting that American forces have already inflicted significant damage on Tehran through conventional means. His remarks, delivered during a tense exchange with reporters at the White House on April 23, come at a time of heightened geopolitical friction and fragile ceasefire arrangements between the two adversaries.

The confrontation unfolded when a journalist referenced Trumps earlier statement from April 7, in which he warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if Iran failed to accept US terms. ...