US President Donald Trump briefly explained his case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday, saying he would not allow the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism to have a nuclear weapon.
In his speech, Trump highlighted Tehran's support for militant groups, the killing of protesters, and the country's missile and nuclear programs as threats to the region and the United States.
"The Iranian regime and its murderous proxies have spread nothing but terrorism, death and hatred," the Republican president said about 90 minutes into his annual State of the Union address to a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives.
He accused Iran of restarting its nuclear program, of working to build missiles that "soon" will be capable of reaching the United States, and of being responsible for roadside bombings that have killed American service members and civilians.
Iranian state media has claimed that Tehran is developing a missile capable of reaching North America.
Preparations for Trump's speech were overshadowed by the build-up of US military forces in the Middle East and preparations for a potential conflict with Iran that could last for weeks if Tehran fails to reach a deal to resolve a long-running dispute over its nuclear program.
Trump has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the negotiators' failure to reach a deal. "They want to make a deal, but we haven't heard those secret words, 'We will never have a nuclear weapon,'" Trump said in his speech.
Iran says its nuclear research is aimed at civilian energy production.
Trump also blamed the government in Tehran for the deaths of thousands of protesters during recent anti-government demonstrations, although the specific figure he cited - that 32,000 people had been killed - is much higher than most public estimates.
"What is being claimed about Iran's nuclear program, Iran's intercontinental ballistic missile, and the number of people killed in the January unrest is nothing more than the repetition of a series of big lies," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in a post on X on Wednesday.
