President Trump expanded the frame of the Iran nuclear debate during his State of the Union Address, arguing that the threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran extends far beyond the Middle East and represents a direct danger to the American homeland. He said Iran is developing missiles capable of reaching the United States and that a nuclear warhead on such a missile would be an existential threat.
Trump said Iranian weapons already pose a danger to Europe and US military bases overseas, and that work is underway on missiles with transcontinental range. He framed this missile development as part of a deliberate Iranian strategy to extend its reach and ultimately threaten the United States directly.
The President recalled Operation Midnight Hammer, last year’s US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, saying they had successfully disrupted Iran’s weapons program. He expressed frustration, however, that Iran has since begun rebuilding — in defiance of warnings explicitly issued after the strikes.
Trump confirmed that two rounds of nuclear negotiations have taken place this month and that Iran is interested in a deal. But he said Washington is still waiting for the one commitment that would make an agreement credible: a public, unambiguous declaration that Iran will never develop nuclear weapons.
He closed his Iran remarks with a warning that is becoming increasingly familiar: a nuclear-armed Iran is not an outcome the United States will accept, regardless of the cost of preventing it. He said peace is his preference, but that preventing this specific threat is a line he will not walk back from.
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