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 Wednesday.
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 reiterated his commitment to preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, emphasizing the impact of the US's Operation Midnight Hammer, in which joint US-Israeli strikes destroyed much of the regime's nuclear infrastructure.
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."
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 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.