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President rejects recent Iran proposal as unacceptable, reiterates that Iran must not have a nuclear weapon
Summary
In a Q&A the president called a recent Iranian proposal unacceptable, reiterated that Iran "cannot have a nuclear weapon," and described a mix of diplomatic and military options while portraying Iran's military capacity as severely degraded.
During a question-and-answer period, a reporter asked the president about a proposal the United States had recently rejected. The president described the proposal as "unacceptable," said Iran "cannot have a nuclear weapon," and asserted that the United States has a simple plan that could neutralize Iran’s capability if necessary.
The president also made a number of claims about Iran’s military status and past U.S. actions, saying its navy and air capabilities had been degraded and asserting that the United States had used a range of military tools to strike Iranian targets. He emphasized flexibility between diplomatic and military approaches and said he believed a diplomatic solution was still possible but described the proposal he received as inadequate.
What was not included: reporters and officials did not discuss details of classified military options, legal authorities, or specific next operational steps in the transcript. Assertions about Iranian losses and weapon inventories were stated as presidential assessments; independent corroboration was not presented in the event.
