Trump Falsely Claims Iran Has Never Said It Won't Develop Nuclear Weapons in State of the Union

In his 2026 State of the Union, Trump claimed the U.S. hasn't 'heard those secret words: we will never have a nuclear weapon' from Iran. This is false. Iran has stated on multiple occasions that it does not intend to develop nuclear weapons. Hours before Trump's speech, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted: 'Our fundamental convictions are crystal clear: Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon.' Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had also stated before the UN General Assembly: 'I hereby declare once more before this Assembly that Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb.' Iran's government accused Trump of spreading 'big lies.'

"We still haven't heard those secret words: 'we will never have a nuclear weapon.'" — State of the Union address to joint session of Congress, February 24, 2026