US President Donald Trump said preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is more important than the economic hardship faced by Americans amid the ongoing conflict

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Americans’ financial hardships are not influencing his approach to ending the Iran war, stressing that his overriding priority is to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Responding to a reporter’s question about whether Americans’ economic struggles were motivating him to pursue a deal, Trump replied: “Not even a little bit.”

“The only thing that matters, when I’m talking about Iran, is that they cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said before leaving the White House for a trip to China. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all. That’s the only thing that motivates me.”

The remarks are expected to draw criticism from opponents who say the administration should weigh geopolitical goals alongside the economic burden on Americans, especially as voters continue to cite rising living costs as a major concern ahead of the November midterm elections.

Clarifying the president’s position, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said Trump’s “ultimate responsibility is the safety and security of Americans.”

“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and if action wasn’t taken, they’d have one, which threatens all Americans,” Cheung added.

Trump is also facing mounting pressure from some Republicans worried that the economic fallout from the conflict could trigger voter backlash and jeopardize the party’s control of the House of Representatives and potentially the Senate in November.

The Iran conflict has contributed to higher energy costs, driving up gasoline prices and adding to inflationary pressures.

US consumer inflation in April recorded its sharpest increase in three years, according to data released on Tuesday.

Trump has defended his stance as a matter of national and global security, indicating that economic concerns are secondary to preventing nuclear proliferation.

However, US intelligence assessments suggest Iran’s timeline for developing a nuclear weapon has remained unchanged since last summer, when analysts estimated that a US-Israeli strike had extended the timeframe to between nine months and a year, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Those assessments have reportedly remained largely the same despite two months of war.

Trump’s allies have backed his position, arguing that the threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran outweighs short-term economic difficulties.

Iran, meanwhile, continues to deny seeking nuclear weapons, insisting its nuclear programme is intended for peaceful purposes, although Western governments suspect Tehran is seeking the capability to build a bomb.