US President Donald Trump outlined his case for potential military action against Iran during his State of the Union address to Congress. He emphasized Tehran’s support for militant groups, its lethal response to protests and its aggressive missile and nuclear programs as significant threats to both the region and America.
Even amid a buildup of US forces in the Middle East for possible conflict with Iran, Trump failed to provide extensive public explanations about his intention to launch such an attack. In his speech, he cited Tehran’s support of militant groups, killing protesters and development of missile capabilities as key issues.
Trump described Iran’s regime and its proxies as spreading “nothing but terrorism and death and hate.” He criticized Iran for restarting its nuclear program, working on missiles that could reach the United States in the near future, and being responsible for attacks against US service members and civilians. Iranian state media had previously claimed Tehran was developing a missile capable of reaching North America.
The build-up to Trump’s speech was marred by the deployment of massive US military forces in the Middle East, with preparations already underway for potential conflict lasting weeks if Iran does not reach a deal on its nuclear program. The president often expressed frustration over negotiators’ inability to finalize an agreement, saying they “want to make a deal” but haven’t yet heard the phrase “We will never have a nuclear weapon.”
Meanwhile, Iranian state media claimed Tehran was advancing a missile capable of reaching North America.
Despite Trump’s call for transparency in any military operations against Iran, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer cautioned against keeping such decisions secret. “When you do these military operations in secret,” he said, “it always causes longer wars, tragedy, more expenses and mistakes.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a briefing for Congress ahead of the speech, highlighting his concern about keeping potential military actions public.
Trump’s domestic focus included discussions on economy, immigration and other policy issues. Advisers had suggested Trump narrow his remarks to such matters but he spent nearly two hours talking about these topics despite their importance.
His address also addressed prior US military interventions like Iraq and Afghanistan as well as recent strikes ordered against Iran last year that claimed to have “obliterated” the country’s nuclear facilities, leading some of his aides to assert Iran is close to having the ability to make nuclear bombs. Trump mentioned this in his speech, asserting Iran wants to restart its sinister ambitions.
Throughout the remarks, there was a clear indication from polls and public opinion that Americans are wary of foreign conflicts and prefer peace wherever possible while not hesitating to confront threats directly.