In his State of the Union address, US President Donald Trump described Iran as the “world’s number one sponsor of terrorism” and said he favoured a diplomatic approach to ease escalating tensions with Tehran. His comments come ahead of the final round of talks between the two countries scheduled to take place in Geneva on Thursday.
Trump stated that while he remained willing to settle differences through negotiations, the United States would not permit Iran to develop nuclear weapons. He further alleged that Iranian authorities were responsible for the deaths of 32,000 people after protests against the clerical establishment broke out in December 2025.
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'They want to make a deal'
President Donald Trump said the United States prefers a diplomatic agreement with Iran, but added that Tehran has not yet guaranteed it will never pursue nuclear weapons. “We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: We will never have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Iran, however, continues to insist that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Earlier Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reaffirmed, “Our fundamental convictions are crystal clear: Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon.”
Trump further claimed that Iran has already developed missiles capable of threatening Europe and US bases abroad. “They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America,” Trump said.
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He also cautioned that Tehran is attempting to advance long-range missile technology that could eventually strike the United States, although US intelligence assessments suggest such capability may not become operational for more than a decade.
