Trump lays out case for possible attack on Iran in State of the Union

• Trump mostly sticks to script, avoids typical digressions.
• US president shares no clarity on plans for Iran in speech.
• Our nation is bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever: Trump.

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump briefly laid out his case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech to Congress on Tuesday, saying he would not allow the world's biggest sponsor of terrorism to have a nuclear weapon.

Even while assembling a massive military force in the Middle East, Trump has done little to explain to the American public why he might be leading the US into its most aggressive action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.

In his longest State of the Union address in history on Tuesday, Trump pointed to Tehran's support for militant groups, its 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 and death and hate," the Republican president said about 90 minutes into his annual address to a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives.

He accused Iran of restarting its nuclear program, working to build missiles that "soon" would be capable of reaching the United States and of being responsible for roadside bombings that have killed US service members and civilians.

Iranian state media have claimed that Tehran is developing a missile capable of reaching North America.

The run-up to Trump's address was overshadowed by the buildup of US military forces in the Middle East and preparations for a possible conflict with Iran that could last for weeks if Tehran does not reach a deal to solve a longstanding dispute over its nuclear program.

Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with negotiators' failure to reach an agreement. "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 for civilian energy production.

Trump also faulted 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.

Trump and his fellow Republicans rose to the top of US politics with the passionate support of a political base that embraces his "America First" policies and vow to end an era of "forever wars" like the long conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But opinion polls show the party will struggle to keep control of Congress in November's midterm election.

Polls also show Americans wary of foreign conflicts. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from January showed 69% of Americans agreed with a statement the US should only use its military when facing a direct and imminent threat, while 18% disagreed and the rest weren't sure or didn't answer the question.

Trump ordered strikes on Iran last year, claiming in July that they had "obliterated" the country's nuclear facilities. His aides have claimed more recently that Iran is very close to having the ability to make nuclear bombs.

Trump addressed the issue in Tuesday's speech, saying, "They (Iran's leaders) want to start all over again, and are, at this moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions."

Trump said he preferred to make peace, listing a range of worldwide conflicts he takes credit for ending, or easing.

"As president, I will make peace wherever I can, but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we must," Trump said.

Trump touts economic record

Trump touted his economic record, boasting that he had ushered in a "golden age" as he sought to project an aura of success at a fraught moment for his presidency.

Heeding calls from advisers worried that his sagging approval ratings augur a challenging midterm election in November, Trump spent the first hour of his televised speech focused on the economy, saying he had curbed inflation, driven the stock market to record heights, signed sweeping tax cuts and lowered drug prices.

"Our nation is back — bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before," he said after taking the stage to cheers of "USA, USA" from his fellow Republicans in Congress, with dozens of empty seats on the Democratic side a reminder that many lawmakers boycotted the speech in favor of anti-Trump rallies outside.

The annual speech to Congress carried enormous stakes for the president, with his approval ratings slumping, anxieties rising over Iran and Americans frustrated that he has not done more to address the high cost of living.

At the outset, Trump was uncharacteristically disciplined, mostly appearing to stick to the written script and eschewing his typical stream-of-consciousness digressions. But he flashed his combative side while discussing his immigration crackdown, exchanging shouted insults with several Democratic lawmakers.

While Trump declared that inflation is "plummeting," prices for groceries, housing, insurance and utilities remain significantly higher than they were a few years ago. New data released on Friday showed the economy slowed more than expected last quarter while inflation accelerated.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found only 36% of Americans approve of his handling of the economy. Democrats hope to seize control of both houses of Congress from Republicans in November when all 435 seats are on the ballot for the House of Representatives and about a third of the 100 seats in the Senate.

While he leveled some familiar attacks on his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, Trump held his fire when it came to the US Supreme Court, which struck down his signature tariff regime on Friday.

Unlike the hours after the decision, when Trump insulted the justices in deeply personal terms, the president shook hands with the four justices in attendance upon entering the House and simply called the ruling "unfortunate."

Trump finished his speech just before 11pm ET (0400 GMT), after more than an hour and 47 minutes — breaking the record he set last year for the longest presidential address to Congress.

Though he has focused much of his energies in office on foreign policy, the topic got little attention during the first 90 minutes of his speech.

Trump again claimed he "ended" eight wars, an exaggeration, and barely mentioned the Russia-Ukraine war, despite Tuesday marking the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion.

Trump also did not offer more clarity regarding his plans for Iran, amid growing concern that he may be inching closer to a military conflict with Tehran.

"My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy," he said. "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."

Trump, Democrats clash 

When Trump turned to his favorite topic, immigration, he repeated the same rhetoric that animated his 2024 campaign, claiming undocumented migrants were responsible for a wave of violent crime despite studies showing that is not the case.

"You should be ashamed," he told Democrats, chastising them for refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security unless measures are taken to curb the aggressive tactics of immigration agents under Trump.

Opinion polls show a majority of Americans believe Trump's immigration crackdown has gone too far, after two US citizens were shot dead by masked federal agents in Minneapolis.

As Trump praised his immigration enforcement, Democrat Ilhan Omar, who represents a Minneapolis US House district, shouted in his direction, "You have killed Americans!"

Trump, who has falsely claimed for years that election fraud in the US is rampant, also attacked Democrats for not supporting a voter identification requirement.

"They want to cheat," he said. Democrats argue that the Republican-backed legislation would impose unnecessary burdens on voters and suppress turnout.

Democratic US Representative Al Green was removed from the House chamber for the second consecutive year after waving a sign at Trump that read: "Black people aren't apes." The message was a reference to a social media video Trump posted this month that included a clip depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes.

The White House eventually took down the video, and Trump said a staffer posted the video. The 79-year-old Green, who is Black, was also ejected last year after shouting at Trump during his address to Congress.

Other Democrats offered quieter messages of protest. US Representative Jill Tokuda, a Hawaii Democrat, wore a white jacket emblazoned with words like "affordability" and "healthcare."

A number of Democratic women wore tags saying "release the files," a reference to the scandal surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. About a dozen Epstein accusers attended as guests of Democrats.

Befitting a former reality television star with a penchant for the dramatic, Trump bragged about all the "winning" the country was experiencing before introducing some other winners: the US men's ice hockey team, which won a gold medal at the Winter Olympics on Sunday.