US President Donald Trump briefly laid out his case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech to Congress yesterday, saying he would not allow the world’s biggest sponsor of terrorism to have a nuclear weapon.
Even while assembling a massive military force in the Middle East, Trump has done little to explain to the American public why he might be leading the US into its most aggressive action against the Islamic republic since its 1979 revolution.
In his speech, Trump pointed to Tehran’s support for militant groups, its killing of protesters and the country’s missile and nuclear programmes as threats to the region and the United States.
“The (Iranian) regime and its murderous proxies have spread nothing but terrorism and death and hate,” the Republican president said about 90 minutes into his annual address to a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives.
He accused Iran of restarting its nuclear programme, working to build missiles that ‘soon’ would be capable of reaching the United States and of being responsible for roadside bombings that have killed US service members and civilians.
Iranian state media have claimed that Tehran is developing a missile capable of reaching North America.
The run-up to Trump’s address was overshadowed by the buildup of US military forces in the Middle East and preparations for a possible conflict with Iran that could last for weeks if Tehran does not reach a deal to solve a long-standing dispute over its nuclear programme.
Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with negotiators’ failure to reach an agreement. “They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words, ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon,’” Trump said in his speech.
Iran says its nuclear research is for civilian energy production.
Trump also faulted the government in Tehran for the deaths of thousands of protesters during recent anti-government demonstrations, although the specific figure he cited – that 32,000 people had been killed – is much higher than most public estimates.
“What is claimed about Iran’s nuclear programme, Iran’s intercontinental ballistic missile, and the number of people killed in the January unrest is nothing but the repetition of a series of big lies,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a post on X later.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said yesterday his country sees the chance of a good outcome from a third round of talks with the US, as a delegation left for Geneva for today’s negotiations.
A senior US official said on Monday that US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are slated to meet the Iranian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, in Geneva.
Trump on February 19 said he was giving Tehran about 10 to 15 days to make a deal.
“In relation to the talks, we see a good outlook, tomorrow in the meeting that Dr Araqchi will hold in Geneva... we have tried, with the guidance of the Supreme Leader, to manage this process to get out of the no war, no peace situation,” Pezeshkian said.
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