Will Trump Use Nuclear Weapons in Iran?
Published at 21:59 on 19 March 2026
He might. He’s a norm-breaker, who views himself exempt from the norms others must follow. Plus, the war is likely to continue not going well for his regime, inspiring frustration on his part. Cornered, he might resort to desperate measures.
He would warn first. This is just a personal judgement on my part. I think he would threaten to use them before actually pulling the nuclear trigger. It seems in character, plus it offers the hope of scoring a win on bluster alone, which I think he would regard as a huge personal win. But, it probably wouldn’t work, since I view Iran as highly likely to call his bluff.
So, not much grounds for immediate worry, but if the nuclear sabre-rattling commences, it will be time to be very concerned.
Remember, the Doomesday scenario in Threads started with nuclear weapons being used in an escalating conflict in Iran.