On Tuesday night (February 24th), President Trump delivered his first State of the Union address for his second term at the Capitol Building. When addressing the Iran issue, Trump drew a red line against the Iranian regime, stating categorically that Iran will never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.
During the speech on Tuesday night, Trump stated that the United States does not rule out any options concerning the Iran issue, emphasizing that the long-standing policy of the United States is to never allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. The President mentioned, “Tehran wants to ‘make a deal,’ but we have not heard a commitment like ‘we will never make nuclear weapons.'”
“They have already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our overseas bases, and they are working on missiles that could soon reach the mainland United States,” Trump said.
In June 2025, the United States initiated Operation “Midnight Hammer,” sending multiple B-2 stealth bombers to strike three nuclear facilities in Iran. Trump stated at that time that the operation “completely destroyed” Iran’s nuclear program.
On Tuesday, the President reiterated that the U.S. military had “destroyed Iran’s nuclear weapons program.” However, he added that last summer, the United States warned Iran “not to attempt to rebuild” its nuclear weapons program, “but they chose to act against our warnings and start over from scratch.”
“We destroyed it, and they want to start over,” Trump said. He went on to say that Iran is “once again pursuing its evil ambitions.”
“I lean toward solving this problem through diplomatic means. But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism – they undoubtedly are – to have nuclear weapons. That is absolutely impossible,” the U.S. President drew a red line for the Iranian regime.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday at the White House to the media that “President Trump’s preference has always been diplomatic means. But as he has indicated… if necessary, he is willing to use the lethal force of the U.S. military.” “The President is always the ultimate decision-maker,” she said.
As a mediator, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi stated on Sunday (22nd) that Iran and the United States will hold the third round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday (26th).
In addition, the United States has deployed a significant naval force near the Iranian coast in preparation for potential U.S. strikes against Iran. President Trump stated last Thursday (19th) that he would give Iran approximately 10 to 15 days to reach an agreement.