U.S. President Donald Trump said he is keeping all options open with regard to Iran, while noting that his administration is working “very hard” to end the war in Ukraine, and that it has already ended “eight” wars in other parts of the world.
Speaking during his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, Trump said that the long-standing policy of the United States is to never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. He added that Tehran wants “to make a deal,” but that the United States has not heard what he described as the “secret words”: “We will never have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump went on to say: “They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.”
In June, the United States struck three Iranian nuclear facilities. At the time, Trump said “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”
During his State of the Union address, Trump reiterated that the U.S. military “obliterated Iran’s nuclear weapons program.”
Trump said Iran was warned over the summer “to make no future attempts to rebuild” its nuclear weapons program, “and yet they continue. They are starting it all over.”
He added: “We wiped it out, and they want to start over again, and are at this moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions.
Trump concluded by saying: “My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon, can’t let that happen.
Ukraine
The U.S. president said his administration is working very hard to end “the killing and slaughter between Russia and Ukraine, where 25,000 soldiers are dying each and every month.” Trump described it as “a war which would never have happened if I were president.”
February 24 marks four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The president also praised his administration for ending “eight wars” during the first ten months of his term.
He said: “As president, I will make peace wherever I can, but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we must.”
Venezuela
Trump again praised what he described as an extraordinary military operation in which Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was arrested last month. He said the United States has “just received from our friend and new partner, Venezuela, more than 80 million barrels of oil.”
Trump also praised a helicopter pilot who was wounded during the operation but completed his mission. He paused to honor him by awarding him the Congressional Medal of Honor. Trump also introduced a Venezuelan political prisoner who was released by the Venezuelan government following the operation.
In the aftermath, Trump called on U.S. oil companies to return quickly to Venezuela, as part of a White House effort to secure $100 billion in investments to repair the country’s neglected infrastructure and exploit its vast oil reserves.
Trump concluded by saying: “We are also restoring American security and dominance in the Western Hemisphere, acting to secure our national interest and defend our country from violence, drugs, terrorism and foreign interference.”
Domestic Issues
Trump opened his State of the Union address by listing his administration’s achievements, focusing on immigration, the economy, and security, as well as the accomplishments of the U.S. national hockey team.
Trump said: “After four years, in which millions and millions of illegal aliens poured across our borders totally unvetted and unchecked, we now have the strongest and most secure border in American history by far. In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States. In addition, he stressed “the flow of deadly fentanyl across our border is down by a record 56 percent, in one year.”
He added: “The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens. Not illegal aliens.” He also stressed that the Department of Homeland Security and border security agencies must be fully funded.
Trump credited what he called a “stunning economic turnaround” to the tariffs he imposed and described the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down many of them as “very unfortunate,” while four of the justices were seated before him.
Trump criticized Democrat-controlled states, saying many are plagued by fraud and corruption. He announced that Vice President J.D. Vance will lead a “war on fraud” and “he’ll get it done.”
He said: “And we’re able to find enough of that fraud — we will actually have a balanced budget overnight. It’ll go very quickly.”
The State of the Union address was the longest in recorded history, lasting one hour and forty-five minutes. It was also historic because it coincided with the 250th anniversary of America’s independence and the founding of the federal republic. Trump closed the address by declaring that America is in its Golden Age and that the project of the Founding Fathers continues.
About half of Democrats in the House and Senate boycotted Trump’s State of the Union address and organized protests against the president, including a demonstration near the White House in downtown Washington titled “The People’s State of the Union.”
The article is a translation of the original Arabic.
