US-IRAN CONFLICT: Iran didn’t waste any time firing back after President Trump’s 2026 State of the Union. The Foreign Ministry called him out for what they said were “big lies” about Iran’s nuclear program and the number of people killed during January’s crackdown on protests.
Iran Slams Trump’s State of the Union Claims on Nuclear Program
Both countries are gearing up for another round of nuclear talks, but Trump’s threat of military action hangs over everything. Iranian officials flat-out rejected his claim that they’re secretly working on a nuclear bomb. To them, he’s just repeating the same lie over and over, hoping people will start believing it.
So, what did Trump actually say about Iran? On Tuesday night, he stood in front of Congress and doubled down. He claimed the U.S. “obliterated Iran’s nuclear weapons program” with airstrikes last June, a claim the IAEA, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, has already questioned.
“They were warned. No more attempts to rebuild their weapons program, especially nuclear weapons, but they keep at it,” Trump said. “They’re back at it right now, chasing those same sinister ambitions.” He insisted again that he’d never let Iran build a nuclear weapon.
Satellite Images Raise Questions After Trump’s Iran Airstrike Claim
Meanwhile, satellite photos from late January show new roofs over two nuclear sites in Natanz and Isfahan—places the U.S. bombed last summer. Maybe Iran’s trying to salvage leftovers, but no one really knows what’s happening inside.
Trump also tossed out another big number: 32,000 people killed by Iranian security forces during the recent protests. That’s way higher than anything reported before, and Iranian officials haven’t admitted to anything close to that.
Iran hit back hard. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson called the U.S. administration “professional liars” and accused them of running a propaganda campaign straight out of Goebbels’ playbook. They said Trump and his Israeli allies are pushing “big lies” not just about the nuclear program, but also about Iran’s missiles and the protest death toll.
US-Iran Conflict
With more nuclear talks coming up and Trump’s threats still hanging in the air, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told lawmakers the country’s ready for “dignified diplomacy”—but also ready to hit back if provoked. “If you try to attack us in the middle of negotiations, you’ll regret it,” he warned.
Still, there’s a sliver of hope. Just before Trump’s speech, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted that there’s a “historic opportunity” for a deal that works for both sides—as long as diplomacy comes first. He pushed back against Trump’s claim that Iran hasn’t ruled out building a bomb, promising Iran would “under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon.” But Araghchi also said Iran has every right to peaceful nuclear technology, hinting that this could become a real sticking point in the talks.
