US President Donald Trump has claimed that American military strikes destroyed Iran's nuclear capability, warning that Washington could go much further by seizing all of Iran's oil or even taking control of the entire country. Speaking to reporters in Florida after casting his vote in the midterm elections, Trump also said oil transit through the Strait of Hormuz has now risen above pre-war levels. His remarks drew a sharp response from Tehran, with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warning that any renewed attack on Iran would be met with a response "beyond imagination."

The exchange marks a fresh escalation in rhetoric between Washington and Tehran, and it comes at a moment when US officials have reportedly threatened further strikes against Iran. With both sides trading stark warnings, the possibility of renewed confrontation remains firmly on the table.

Trump says Iran's nuclear capability is destroyed

Trump told reporters that the US military strikes on Iran had destroyed the country's nuclear capability. Justifying the attacks, he argued that Iran could use a nuclear weapon if it were ever allowed to develop one, framing the American action as a step taken to prevent Tehran from ever acquiring or deploying such a weapon.

The president made the comments in Florida, where he had traveled to vote in the midterm elections. His assessment of the strikes' impact was unequivocal: in his telling, the Iranian nuclear program no longer represents the danger it once did because of what US forces accomplished.

His remarks effectively serve as a public defense of the military campaign, presenting the destruction of Iran's nuclear capability as a completed objective rather than an unfinished task.

Threats to seize Iran's oil, or take over the entire country

Trump did not stop at declaring Iran's nuclear program destroyed. He indicated that further military action against Iran remains possible, and he went as far as to describe far more expansive scenarios. According to a report by Ratopati, Trump said the United States "can seize all of Iran's oil, take over the entire country."

Among the options he floated were:

  • Seizing all of Iran's oil
  • Taking control of the entire country
  • Carrying out additional military action against Iran

His comments were made as US officials reportedly threatened further strikes on Iran, a signal that the option of renewed attacks is being openly discussed. Nagarik News reported that Trump hinted at another attack on Iran, underscoring that the earlier strikes have not ended Washington's coercive posture toward Tehran.

Hormuz oil transit now exceeds pre-war levels, says Trump

Alongside his military threats, Trump addressed the economic dimension of the standoff, saying that oil transit through the Strait of Hormuz now exceeds pre-war levels. The claim carries weight given the strait's role as one of the world's most critical oil transit routes, where any disruption reverberates through global energy markets.

By asserting that flows have surpassed pre-war levels, Trump appeared to present the waterway as having returned to normal, or even improved, after the conflict. For a region whose petroleum exports depend on safe passage through Hormuz, the state of transit through the strait is among the most closely watched indicators of whether tensions are easing or deepening.

His comments on Hormuz stood in contrast to the severity of his threats against Tehran, offering a picture of recovered commerce even as he kept open the possibility of far more drastic action against Iran.

Iran warns of a response beyond imagination

Iran lost little time in answering. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that any renewed attack on Iran would meet a response beyond imagination, according to Khabarhub. The warning was aimed squarely at Washington as US officials reportedly weighed further military action.

Ghalibaf's statement signals that Tehran does not regard the threat of renewed US strikes as an empty one, and it frames Iran as ready to retaliate on a scale that would exceed anything seen so far in the confrontation. Coming from one of the senior-most officials in Iran's government, the message reflects how seriously Iranian leadership is treating Trump's comments.

The warning also serves as a deterrent declaration: Iran is telling Washington that any decision to strike again would carry consequences that cannot currently be calculated.

A standoff with no clear off-ramp

Taken together, the statements from Washington and Tehran illustrate a rivalry that remains unresolved despite the US strikes that Trump says destroyed Iran's nuclear capability. On one side sits an American president openly floating scenarios, from seizing Iranian oil to occupying the country, that would represent a dramatic escalation of the conflict. On the other sits an Iranian leadership signaling that renewed aggression would trigger a response of an entirely different magnitude.

That the remarks came as Trump voted in the midterm elections, and as US officials reportedly threatened further strikes, suggests the issue will remain at the center of American politics and policy. With Tehran promising an unimaginable response to any new attack and Washington keeping its options open, the path toward de-escalation remains uncertain.