Trump on Iran: Diplomacy Preferred, Nuclear Weapons Still on Table

U.S. President Donald Trump warned again on the 24th (local time) that Iran could use military force to prevent it from possessing nuclear weapons, saying that Iran had not expressed its intention to give up nuclear weapons in negotiations with the United States.

“We are negotiating with Iran,” President Trump said in his State of the Union address at the Washington D.C. Congress on this day. “They want to reach an agreement, but we have not yet heard the secret word, ‘We will never possess nuclear weapons.’”

“I prefer to resolve this issue through diplomacy,” he said. “But one thing is clear: I will never allow the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism to possess nuclear weapons. No country should doubt America’s resolve.”

He also said that Iran has already developed missiles that can threaten US military bases in Europe and overseas, and is soon trying to develop missiles that can reach the US mainland.

“As president, I will pursue peace whenever possible, but I will never hesitate to confront threats against the United States when necessary,” Trump warned.

The Trump administration is continuing talks with Iran, demanding that it stop developing nuclear weapons. Follow-up negotiations between the United States and Iran will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 26th.

At the same time, the United States is deploying a large number of troops, including aircraft carrier groups and fighter jets, to the Middle East and is pressuring that it will use force if negotiations fail.

Reporter Jeong Hye-jeong jeong.hyejeong@joongang.co.kr