Trump frames strikes as bid to stop Iran’s nuclear weapon push
President Donald Trump said the core objective was to ensure Iran “can never have a nuclear weapon.” He claimed earlier strikes had “obliterated” Tehran’s nuclear programme but alleged this week that Iran was attempting to rebuild it. The International Atomic Energy Agency and US intelligence have previously assessed that Iran halted a weapons programme in 2003, though concerns remain over uranium enrichment levels.
Missile programme cited as growing threat
In his State of the Union address and a subsequent video message, Trump pointed to advances in Iran’s missile programme, alleging Tehran was developing long-range missiles capable of threatening Europe, US troops overseas and potentially the American homeland. He provided no detailed evidence, though Iranian state media has claimed progress on extended-range systems.
Eliminating threats from Iran and its proxies
Trump said the strikes aimed to eliminate “imminent threats” to Americans and US allies. He cited past attacks including the 1979 US Embassy hostage crisis in Tehran and the 1983 bombing of US Marine barracks in Beirut, as well as Iran’s support for Hamas following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Conflicting figures over protester deaths
Trump accused Iran’s leadership of killing “tens of thousands” of protesters in recent unrest. The US-based group HRANA has reported 7,007 verified deaths with thousands more under review, while Iranian officials have put the toll between 3,117 and at least 5,000, including security personnel.
Trump calls for uprising, vows strikes will continue
Calling on “the great proud people of Iran” to take control of their country, Trump said the “hour of your freedom is at hand.” He warned that US strikes would continue “uninterrupted throughout the week or as long as necessary” to achieve what he described as peace in the Middle East.