In his annual State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Donald Trump sharply accused Iran of pursuing long-range missile capabilities that could eventually threaten the United States, even as he reiterated a preference for diplomacy.
Trump told a joint session of Congress that Iran has already developed missiles capable of threatening Europe and U.S. bases abroad and is now “working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.” He did not present new evidence to support the claim, which U.S. officials have tied to longstanding concerns about Tehran’s ballistic program.
The president’s remarks came amid heightened tensions with Tehran, as Washington has deployed additional warships and aircraft near the region. Trump framed the missile threat as part of a broader Iranian effort to revive its military capabilities after U.S. and Israeli strikes last year that he said “totally obliterated” Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure.
“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,” Trump said, emphasizing that the United States is engaged in negotiations with Iranian officials in Geneva. “They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon.’”
Still, the president forcefully warned that he would not allow Iran to acquire either nuclear weapons or missile delivery systems capable of striking the U.S. homeland. “No nation should ever doubt America’s resolve,” he said, asserting that the United States has “the most powerful military on Earth.”
Trump described Iran as the “world’s number one sponsor of terror” and accused the Islamic Republic of continuing to pursue “sinister ambitions” despite previous military action. He said Tehran had been explicitly warned against rebuilding its weapons programs, “in particular nuclear weapons.”
The president’s focus on missiles follows long-standing U.S. intelligence assessments that Iran’s current arsenal of ballistic missiles can threaten regional targets but not yet the continental United States. Some estimates suggest Tehran could only achieve intercontinental capability years down the line if it chose to pursue it.
While Trump stressed that diplomacy remains the first option, his remarks underscored the administration’s readiness to shift to harsher measures should negotiations fail. Iran has publicly dismissed U.S. allegations about its missile and nuclear programs, calling them unfounded.
The issue is expected to be a central point in upcoming discussions in Geneva, where U.S. and Iranian negotiators continue talks that Trump described as ongoing but incomplete.
