President Donald Trump said Monday he would not employ a nuclear weapon against Iran after a reporter asked whether he had excluded that option. The exchange occurred in the Oval Office following his announcement of agreements with nine additional drugmakers to reduce medication costs.

He described Iran as militarily crushed and economically ruined, citing 350 percent inflation, worthless money, unpaid troops, mostly deceased officials, and destroyed naval, air, and monitoring assets. He called recent American attacks a very limited effort against a collapsed country but noted further action remained possible.

Trump reported that vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains strong, with dozens of ships passing nightly under naval escort and substantial oil shipments continuing, which he said has kept energy prices from rising as some expected.