In his State of the Union address, Donald Trump accused Iran of resuming efforts to increase its nuclear and missile capabilities and declared that Tehran was “once again pursuing its nefarious ambitions.”
Trump has kept all options open regarding Iran. He said that it has been America’s policy for a long time not to allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. Trump said Tehran wants to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those cryptic words, “We will never build a nuclear weapon.”
The President adopted a dual strategy in his address, in which he expressed a strong warning as well as openness to dialogue. He said, “My priority is to resolve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is for sure, I will never allow what is undoubtedly the world’s largest sponsor of terrorism to possess nuclear weapons. This cannot happen.”
The President also described Iran’s missile development as a growing threat beyond the Middle East. “They have already developed missiles that can threaten our bases in Europe and abroad, and they are working on creating missiles that will soon reach the United States,” he said.
His comments come months after a dramatic increase in tensions between Washington and Tehran. In June, the US targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities in a series of coordinated attacks. Trump claimed at the time that the operation resulted in the “complete destruction” of Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons and says its nuclear program is for peaceful energy purposes. This new round of war of words has raised new questions about the direction of US-Iran relations and whether diplomatic ties can be revived amid growing distrust.
Trump’s comments underscore the administration’s continued focus on countering Iran’s regional influence and military growth, while also indicating that diplomatic or other types of further action are being considered.
Meanwhile, amid reports of US military build-up in West Asia, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said he is likely to meet the US delegation in Geneva on Thursday to join the next round of talks on the country’s nuclear programme. The two sides have held two rounds of talks so far this month with the aim of reaching an agreement.