Donald Trump Reiterates US Stance: Iran Must Not Develop Nuclear Weapons

Washington, DC [US]: US President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that US strikes “obliterated Iran’s nuclear weapons programme” amid escalating tensions with Iran and ahead of the next round of negotiations between the two countries over Tehran’s nuclear program.

This comes as the United States continues to build up its military forces in West Asia.

Donald Trump preference for a diplomatic resolution to the dispute

In his annual State of the Union address to Congress, Trump restated his preference for a diplomatic resolution to the dispute, but claimed Tehran has not committed to not developing nuclear weapons.

According to Trump, Iran has already produced missiles capable of posing a threat to US bases abroad and Europe, and it is now attempting to “build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.”

He mentioned “Operation Midnight Hammer,” the US bombings against Iran’s nuclear strikes that occurred during a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel last year.They were cautioned against rebuilding their weapons program after Midnight Hammer, but they persist and are currently pursuing their nefarious nuclear goals once more,” Trump stated.

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Donald Trump stated

The US president stated that although Iran has not yet committed to never producing a nuclear weapon, it wants to reach an agreement to prevent more US strikes.

“We haven’t heard those secret words: We will never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump stated, adding that Iran is unable to possess a nuclear weapon. “Can’t let that happen,” declared Trump.One thing is certain, though: I would prefer to resolve this issue diplomatically. The US president declared, “I will never put a nuclear weapon in the hands of the world’s top sponsor of terrorism, which they are by far.”

Iranian officials have stated that their nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes and have denied on numerous occasions that they have attempted to produce nuclear weapons. The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that “Iran will under no circumstances develop a nuclear weapon” in a post on X only hours before Trump’s speech.

Araghchi stated on Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that he was still working on the idea and that Tehran’s political establishment had not yet approved it. According to him, the plan would include provisions that address the “concerns and interests” of both parties.

The plan will be addressed in Geneva, the Iranian top diplomat continued, and both sides will draft a text in an effort to reach “a fast deal.”

Following the second round of discussions between Iran and the United States, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X on Sunday that the meetings had “yielded encouraging signals” but cautioned that Iran was ready for “any potential scenario.”

In a Saturday interview with Fox News, Trump’s Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff suggested that Iran might be “a week away” from manufacturing industrial-grade bomb-making material. Iran has enriched uranium up to 60%, Witkoff told Fox News, which he claimed surpasses levels

The next round of Iran-US negotiations will take place in Geneva, Switzerland on February 26 “with a positive push to go the extra mile towards finalising the deal,” according to Oman’s foreign minister Badr Albusaidi, according to Oman News Agency.

Earlier this month, the United States and Iran re-established diplomatic relations in Muscat, with a second round taking place in Geneva.For use in civilian nuclear applications.

Meanwhile, in his SOTU address to Congress on Tuesday , Trump stated that his firm stance on Iran is part of his “peace through strength” approach.

During his State of the Union address, Obama publicly announced what he described as a renewed “Peace through Strength” credo.

Trump described it as the driving premise of his foreign policy, saying the US would deter rivals by preserving unrivalled military force while pressing for negotiated settlements from a position of leverage.