Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on May 13, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleTrump labels Iran as a major threat in the Middle East, vowing it won't get a nuclear weapon while offering a diplomatic path forward.
By Gram Slattery and Nandita Bose
RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Iran the "most destructive force" in the Middle East, blaming Tehran for instability across the region and warning that the United States will never allow it to obtain a nuclear weapon.
Offering what he described as both a final warning and a potential opening for diplomacy, Trump said Iran has a choice between continuing its "chaos and terror" or embracing a path toward peace.
Tehran has repeatedly denied accusations of fomenting Middle East instability.
Trump said he was willing to strike a new deal with the Islamic Republic but only if its leaders changed course.
"I want to make a deal with Iran," he said. "But if Iran's leadership rejects this olive branch..., we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure."
Speaking at an investment summit in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Trump warned that "Iran will never have a nuclear weapon", and said his offer for a deal won't last forever.
Trump also drew a stark contrast between what he called the "constructive vision" of Saudi Arabia and the "collapse and suffering" he said had been caused by Iranian leaders.
"There could be no sharper contrast with the path you have pursued on the Arabian Peninsula than the disaster unfolding right across in the Gulf of Iran," Trump added.
(Reporting by Gram Slattery in Riyadh and Nandita Bose in Washington; editing by Nick Zieminski and Mark Heinrich)
The article discusses Trump's stance on Iran, labeling it as a destructive force and vowing to prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Trump offers Iran a choice between continuing its current path or embracing peace, with a potential for a new deal if they change course.
Trump contrasts Saudi Arabia's constructive vision with the chaos and suffering he attributes to Iranian leadership.
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