Trump demands that Iran promise never to build a nuclear weapon in State of the Union address

President Trump pressed the Iranian government to reach a deal on its nuclear program during his State of the Union address Tuesday, as he weighs possible military action against the country.

“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,” the president said. “Can’t let that happen.”

As the U.S. and Iran engage in indirect talks, Mr. Trump has suggested he may order strikes on Iran if it doesn’t agree to curb its nuclear program. Meanwhile, a large fleet of U.S. naval vessels has been deployed to the Middle East. The president has pressed advisers for options that would deliver a punishing strike substantial enough to compel Iranian leaders to return to negotiations under more favorable terms, CBS News has previously reported, but military planners have cautioned that such an outcome cannot be guaranteed. 

Mr. Trump hasn’t said outright whether he plans to order strikes. In a brief phone call shortly before the State of the Union address, the president told CBS News chief Washington analyst Robert Costa “we’ll find out” how he will move forward on Iran.

During the speech, Mr. Trump praised last summer’s U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, but alleged that Iranian officials are now “pursuing their sinister ambitions” again.

“We wiped it out, and they want to start all over again,” he said.

The president suggested he wants a commitment from Iran not to build nuclear weapons.

“They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon,'” the president said.

Iran has long insisted publicly that it isn’t interested in building a nuclear weapon — including earlier Tuesday, when Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that “Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon.”

However, Iran has also asserted that it has the right to enrich uranium. The country says its enrichment program is entirely peaceful, though in recent years, it has enriched uranium well beyond the level needed for applications other than weapons.