Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump asserted the dangers posed by nuclear weapons in the hands of "crazy people" as he defended the U.S. military operation against Iran that resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Trump made these remarks during an energy-related event at the White House. He warned that "everybody who wants to be an Iranian leader ends up dead," suggesting that future Iranian leaders with nuclear aspirations would face similar consequences.

Trump's comments come amid rising tensions with North Korea, which has intensified its nuclear weapons program. The Pentagon's National Defense Strategy identifies this as a significant threat to the U.S., highlighting the potential risk of a nuclear attack on American soil.

During his speech, Trump emphasized the U.S.'s preparedness, stating, "When crazy people have nuclear weapons, bad things happen. So we are in very good shape." He described the military campaign, Operation Epic Fury, against Tehran as a "great display of military strength."

Trump reiterated his disapproval of the Iran nuclear deal established under the Obama administration, which the U.S. withdrew from in 2018. He criticized the agreement, claiming it facilitated Iran's path to acquiring nuclear weapons and asserted that the termination of the deal prevented Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon four years ago.

The president expressed confidence in the ongoing military efforts, stating, "We are doing very well on the war front," and rated the operation's success as "about a 15" on a scale of 10.