United States President Donald Trump stated that he will never allow Iran to possess a nuclear weapon during his annual State of the Union address delivered to the US Congress on Tuesday.
Trump, reiterating his commitment to preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, emphasized the impact of the US's Operation Midnight Hammer, in which joint US-Israeli strikes destroyed much of the regime's nuclear infrastructure, calling it a "breakthrough operation that obliterated Iran's nuclear program."
"We wiped [Iran's nuclear program] out, and they want to start all over again, and at this moment are pursuing their sinister ambitions," Trump said. "We are in negotiations, and they want to make a deal, but we haven't heard those secret words: 'we will never have a nuclear weapon.' My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy, but one thing is certain, I will never allow the world's number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon - can't let that happen."
Iran is working to build missiles that can reach the US, having already achieved the ability to "threaten Europe and our bases overseas," the president said.
As US-Iran tensions rise, Trump stated that while his preference is to solve the issue of Iran’s nuclear weapons development through diplomacy, he will "never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon."
"As president, I will make peace wherever I can, but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America where I must," he affirmed, adding that the "Iranian regime and its murderous proxies have spread nothing but terrorism, death, and hate" for the past 47 years.
Trump also recounted how, at the end of his first term, he "took out the father of the roadside bomb, [then Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps - Quds Force leader Qassem] Soleimani."
Addressing the Iranian protesters, Trump called it "terrible" that the regime has killed at least 32,000 protesters, claiming that his threats of "serious violence" stopped the Islamic regime from hanging even more.
Trump addresses developments in Gaza, ceasefire, hostage returns
He additionally addressed the past year's developments in Israel regarding the Israel-Hamas War.
"Under the ceasefire I negotiated, every single hostage, living and dead, has been returned home," Trump stated, calling it a feat "nobody thought that was possible."
"Believe it or not, Hamas worked along with Israel, and they dug and dug and dug - it's a tough thing to do," Trump noted.
He thanked US special envoy Steve Witkoff, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their contributions to the ceasefire deal.
Trump also noted how he "ended eight wars" since taking office in January 2025, including between Thailand and Cambodia, India and Pakistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ethiopia and Egypt, and the wars that Israel fought against Iran and Hamas.
Trump also discussed the Ukraine-Russia war, stating that he is working hard to end the "killing and slaughter" that is ongoing in the region, saying that "25,000 soldiers are dying each and every month."
The president also praised the US military as the most powerful military on earth, which he "rebuilt" during his first military term, and mentioned the pressure on NATO allies to raise defense spending to 5% of Gross Domestic Product.
"Now they're paying five [percent] as opposed to not paying two [percent]," he stated, noting that US military equipment sent to Ukraine is going via NATO.
He also commented on the US military special forces operation to capture former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, calling it one of the "most complex, spectacular feats of military competence and power in world history - no one's seen anything like it."
He went on to say that foreign leaders called him to state they could not believe its success and were impressed.
Trump also took, at least partial credit, for the operation which took down "one of the most sinister cartel kingpins of all," referring to the death of Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio Oseguera, known by the alias "El Mencho."
Trump addresses domestic US affairs
Trump additionally addressed his administration's accomplishments since he took office in January of 2025, including reductions in inflation, crime rates, and illegal immigration.
"For all of these reasons, I say tonight, members of Congress, the state of our union is strong," Trump asserted. “Our country is winning again so much, in fact, we’re winning so much we don’t know what to do about it.”
“A short time ago, we were a dead country; now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world," he stated.
Trump additionally bragged about his "peace-protecting" tariffs, stating that "many of the wars [he] settled were because of the threat of tariffs," and lamenting a recent "unfortunate" Supreme Court ruling that overturned many of his tariffs on international trade.
He also took aim at the American Somali community, alleging that "Somali pirates" had "pillaged an estimated 19 billion from the American taxpayer" and announcing a so-called "war on fraud" led by Vice President JD Vance, intended to target alleged welfare fraud in states such as Minnesota, California, and Michigan.
In his speech, Trump paid homage to conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in September 2025, calling on Americans to "reject political violence of all kinds" in his honor.
Trump also called on Congress to approve the Save America Act, "to stop illegal aliens, and others, who are unpermitted persons from voting in our sacred American elections - the cheating is rampant in our elections. It's very simple, all voters must show voter ID."
There should also be no more "crooked" mail-in ballots, except for those with a legitimate reason, such as the disabled, military, or travel.
Trump also commented on how every US military service member received a "warrior dividend" of $1,776, claiming that this money came, in part, from tariffs.