Iran denies missile, nuclear claims after Trump alleges 'sinister ambitions' in key speech

Iran on Wednesday dismissed US claims about its missile programme as "big lies" after Donald Trump said Tehran was developing missiles that could strike the United States.

In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, the US president accused Tehran of "sinister nuclear ambitions" as Washington ups the pressure with a massive military deployment around the Gulf. 

The two foes are scheduled to meet for a third round of talks on Thursday in the Swiss city of Geneva in an effort to reach a diplomatic solution. 

Trump boasted Tuesday of a "turnaround for the ages" in his flagship State of the Union speech in Washington, seeking to reverse dismal polls and see off mounting challenges at home and abroad ahead of crucial midterm elections.

During a section of the lengthy speech on foreign policy, Trump claimed Tehran had "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."

He said Iran wants "to start all over again" with its nuclear programme and is "at this moment again pursuing their sinister nuclear ambitions."

But Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei on Wednesday refuted those claims, without mentioning Trump directly.

"Whatever they're alleging in regards to Iran's nuclear programme, Iran's ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January's unrest, is simply the repetition of 'big lies'," he said on X.

The US president had also claimed that Iranian authorities killed 32,000 people during a wave of protests that started in December and peaked on January 8 and 9.

The West believes Iran is seeking an atomic bomb, but Tehran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful. Trump has threatened to launch strikes on Iran if no deal is reached. Tehran has repeatedly said it would respond firmly to any attack, warning that even a limited strike "would be regarded as an act of aggression."

"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," Trump said.

Hours before his speech, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared that a deal to avoid a military clash was within reach.

"We have a historic opportunity to strike an unprecedented agreement that addresses mutual concerns and achieves mutual interests," Araghchi said in a social media post, adding that a deal was "within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority."

Araghchi vowed Iran will "under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon," but insisted on the country's right to "harness dividends of peaceful nuclear technology."

Iran and the US held five rounds of nuclear talks last year but those negotiations ended after Israel's unprecedented attack on Iran triggered a 12-day war.

 

'Red lines'

Inside Iran, university students kicked off a new semester at the weekend with gatherings reviving slogans from nationwide protests against the clerical leadership, keeping up domestic pressure on the leadership.

On Tuesday, the fourth consecutive day of the campus protests, videos verified by the AFP news agency showed two groups facing off in a large hall at a Tehran university before scuffles broke out.

The day before, students had burned the flag adopted by Iran's Islamic republic after the 1979 revolution, according to verified videos.

Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani, giving the first official reaction to the rallies, said that while students had a right to protest, they must "understand the red lines."

The flag, she added, was one "of these red lines that we must protect and not cross or deviate from, even at the height of anger."

The initial wave of protests began in December, sparked by economic woes in sanctions-hit Iran, but soon grew into nationwide demonstrations that posed one of the largest challenges to Iran's leaders in years.

The unrest prompted a violent crackdown that killed thousands.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has recorded more than 7,000 deaths, while warning the full toll is likely far higher. 

Iranian officials acknowledge more than 3,000 deaths, but say the violence was caused by "terrorist acts" fuelled by the United States and Israel.

 

'Turnaround for the ages'

In his State of the Nation speech, Trump sought to paint a rosy picture of his achievements in his longest-ever speech to Congress – and despite branding Democrats "crazy" the Republican president largely struck a measured tone.

But Trump's speech – met with repeated standing ovations from Republicans while Democrats remained seated in protest and sometimes heckled – was notably short on actual policy announcements. 

Trump began what became a record-breaking one hour and 47 minute State of the Union by painting an optimistic picture, declaring America was "bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before."

"Tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before, and a turnaround for the ages," Trump said.

The 79-year-old hopes the primetime speech, broadcast across all major networks, will help him to sell that message to voters after a deeply divisive first year back in power.

Falling in opinion polls, Trump focused on what he said were his administration's economic achievements but offered little solace for voters angered by the cost of living.

Trump fears his Republican Party will lose control over Congress in the November midterms, paralysing the rest of his second term and exposing him to a possible third impeachment.

 

Security concerns

Turning to what he said were his administration's efforts to boost US security, Trump claimed that Iran is seeking missiles that could reach the United States. 

He repeated his insistence that the country would never be allowed to build a nuclear weapon.

He also boasted that Venezuela was now shipping oil to the United States after Washington ousted its leader, and celebrated the killing of a Mexican narco kingpin.

Trump then resumed his customary dark rhetoric against opponents and undocumented immigrants. He claimed Democrats were "destroying our country" and that Somali "pirates" had "ransacked" Minnesota.

The president told Congress to pass a law imposing additional ID requirements for US citizens to vote, pushing his unprecedented and false claims that US elections suffer from "rampant" cheating.

The battle over the right to vote comes as Republicans are trying to avoid losing their narrow majority in the House of Representatives – and potentially the Senate.

A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll published on Sunday showed Trump's approval rating at a lowly 39 percent. Only 41 percent approved of his handling of the economy overall, and just 32 percent on inflation.

He has been battered by a series of blows, most recently with the Supreme Court's striking down of his use of coercive trade tariffs against countries all over the world.

Trump, who earlier branded the court's justices "fools and lapdogs" over the tariff ruling, briefly shook hands with several of the justices in attendance but went on in his speech to declare their ruling "very unfortunate."

The billionaire has also been rocked by a backlash to the killing of two US citizens in immigration raids in Minneapolis and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. 

He did not mention the Epstein scandal in his speech.

 

– TIMES/AFP