President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran would have used a nuclear weapon if it had one, warning that Israel and much of the Middle East could have been destroyed, with the United States or Europe possibly “next.”

“If they would have had a nuclear weapon, they would have fired it,” Trump said on “Sunday Night in America.”

“These are very violent, evil people.”

“So I think the Middle East would have essentially been gone, but Israel definitely would have been gone,” he added.

“I guess we would be next, or Europe, or someplace. But no, you cannot let them have a nuclear weapon, and they won’t have a nuclear weapon,” he added.

Trump also praised the success of the blockade of Iranian ports and Washington’s financial pressure campaign, saying Iran had become “a failing nation.”

IRGC / Morteza Nikoubazl / NurPhoto via Getty Images

“The blockade has been unbelievable,” he said. “The financial hits that we’re giving them” have contributed to Iran’s decline.

“Their navy’s gone. Their air force is gone. Their leaders are gone. All of their anti-aircraft — I mean, it’s all wiped out. They’re tough people,” Trump said.

The president also said he was surprised when Tehran began targeting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait at the start of the war, but argued the attacks eroded Iran’s regional support.

“Everybody was shocked. I was surprised,” Trump said. “I thought it was a real good thing because they lost all the support that they had.”