ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – United States President Donald Trump on Friday said that he would not hesitate to bomb Iran again if the country continues enriching uranium, but noted that he does not believe Tehran will go back to its nuclear program “anytime soon.”

Asked during a presser whether he believes Iran has given up its nuclear ambitions, Trump responded: “Time will tell.”

“But I don't believe that they're going to go back into nuclear anytime soon. They spent over a trillion dollars on nuclear, and they never got it together,” Trump told reporters, claiming that the US strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Iran and the US had held five rounds of talks around the nuclear issue, with a sixth round scheduled, before an Israeli operation targeting Iran's nuclear facilities and top military officials derailed the process. Washington involved itself in the blitz towards the end of the 12-day conflict, using B-2 stealth bombers to target Iran’s nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow, before a ceasefire was reached between Iran and Israel.

Trump also claimed that Iran wants to meet American officials to resume nuclear talks; a statement denied by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi less than 24 hours earlier.

“They’re [Iran] exhausted and Israel is exhausted too, and I dealt with both of them, and they both wanted it settled… The last thing they’re [Iran] thinking about is nuclear weapons right now,” the American president added.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday congratulated his compatriots on their conduct during the conflict with Israel, saying that the US intervened to save its ally from being “destroyed.”

“The US regime entered into a direct war because it felt that if it did not enter, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. Here too, the Islamic Republic won, and in return, it dealt a severe slap to America,” Khamenei said in a video message carried by Iranian state media.

In a post on Truth Social after the presser, Trump described Khamenei’s declaration of victory as “a lie,” adding that he has dropped plans to provide Iran with sanction relief in light of the supreme leader’s comments.

“His country was decimated, his three evil nuclear sites were obliterated, and I knew exactly where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the US Armed Forces… terminate his life,” wrote Trump, claiming: “I saved him from a very ugly and ignominious death.”

“During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery… But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more,” Trump added.

In 2015, world powers agreed to ease international sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear program, a deal that came to be known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The United States, during the first Trump administration, unilaterally withdrew from the landmark agreement and reimposed economic sanctions, causing extensive damage to the Iranian economy.