During his inaugural address of his second term, US President Donald Trump urged the Iranian regime to abandon its nuclear weapons plans. “I would prefer to resolve this problem diplomatically, but one thing is certain: I will never allow the world’s largest supporter of terror-which they truly are-to possess nuclear weapons” the president told the nation. “I cannot allow that”.
The United States and Iran are engaged in indirect talks. Trump hinted that he might authorize military strikes against Iran if the country fails to curb its nuclear program. A sizable fleet of US naval vessels has already been deployed to the Middle East, though the outcome of any potential strike remains uncertain.
Trump did not explicitly confirm whether he intends to carry out attacks. In his speech he praised the US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites last summer, yet warned that Iranian officials are pursuing “dark ambitions” again. “We destroyed them, and they want to start from scratch” he said. Trump made it clear that he expects Iran to give a definitive pledge not to build nuclear weapons.