President Trump threatened to drop a nuclear bomb on Iran if they didn’t sign an agreement with the U.S.
While speaking to the press outside of the White House on Thursday, Trump was asked if the ceasefire was still on despite the recent exchange of fire in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. and Iran traded attacks, with Iran reportedly attacking three U.S. warships with missiles, drones, and small boats, and the U.S. bombing an Iranian oil tanker and other targets in the coastal areas of Bandar Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island. Trump said the ceasefire is still in place, but then went on a disturbing tack.
“They trifled with us today, we blew ‘em away. They trifled, I call that a trifle. I’ll let you when there’s no cease—you won’t have to know. If there’s no ceasefire, you’re not gonna have to know, you’re just gonna have to look at one big glow coming out of Iran. And they better sign their agreement fast,” Trump said.
Q: After today's strikes, is the ceasefire with Iran still on?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 8, 2026
TRUMP: Yeah it is. They trifled with us today. We blew them away. If there's no ceasefire, you'll see one big glow coming out of Iran. They better sign an agreement fast. pic.twitter.com/eXphPfXtt0
Trump then said that peace talks were going “very well, but they’re going to have to understand, if it doesn’t get signed, they’re gonna have a lot of pain. They’re gonna have a lot of pain. They want to sign it, I will tell you. They want to sign it a lot more than I do.”
Does “one big glow” refer to a nuclear bomb? It would have to refer to a massive bombing campaign at the very least. Fox News reports that the U.S. struck several empty Iranian oil tankers Friday, suggesting that Trump is hoping bombs will coerce Iran into ending its closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump could be alluding to using nukes, or just talking big to try and intimidate Iran’s leadership. So far, though, Trump has not made any visible progress on ending the war and the world economy continues to suffer as a result, with fuel prices staying high. Nuking Iran would only make things catastrophically worse.