White House Rejects Speculation Over Possible Nuclear Option in Iran

The administration pushed back against online claims that Vice President JD Vance had implied the US could use a nuclear weapon, as anxiety grew ahead of President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran.

The White House on Monday sought to calm speculation that the administration might use a nuclear weapon in Iran, forcefully rejecting a social media post that claimed Vice President JD Vance had suggested that option could be on the table.

The controversy followed remarks made by Vance to reporters in Hungary, where he said the United States still had “tools in our toolkit” that it had not yet decided to use. He added that President Donald Trump could choose to use those tools if Iran did not change its course of conduct.

Vance’s comment, combined with Trump’s Truth Social warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” sparked a wave of online speculation that the administration might be referring to the use of nuclear weapons.

The White House quickly pushed back. Its Rapid Response account on X responded to a post from an account run by Democratic operatives that said Vance “implies Trump might use nuclear weapons,” writing: “Literally nothing @VP said here ‘implies’ this, you absolute buffoons.”

The online reaction, however, highlighted growing anxiety in the hours leading up to Trump’s 8 p.m. ET deadline for Iran to make a deal or face major attacks on its critical infrastructure.