Trump Falsely Claims U.S. 'Obliterated' Iran's Nuclear Program in State of the Union

In his 2026 State of the Union, Trump claimed the U.S. 'obliterated Iran's nuclear weapons program' with strikes in June 2025. This claim has been disputed by the IAEA and nuclear experts. Rafael Grossi, head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, said much of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium likely remains. Iran has not allowed international inspectors to examine the struck nuclear facilities. Nuclear experts stated that airstrikes alone may set a program back but cannot decisively end it. Most notably, Trump himself undermined his own claim by threatening further strikes on Iran's nuclear program in the same speech, raising the question of why new strikes would be needed if the program had been 'obliterated.'

"We obliterated Iran's nuclear weapons program." — State of the Union address to joint session of Congress, February 24, 2026