Trump: “Iran will not have nuclear weapons”

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran will not be able to obtain nuclear weapons, attributing this to the military pressure exerted by the United States.

“We are at war right now because there is a country that wanted to obtain a nuclear weapon,” Trump said during a Washington event commemorating the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “They were very close to getting it, and now they have no possibility of doing so. They will never have a nuclear weapon. Iran will not have nuclear weapons.”

Iran has maintained for decades that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes, while Western governments have expressed concerns that Tehran could use the program to develop nuclear weapons. Israel and the United States launched their attack against Iran in February citing those concerns.

Iran, for its part, maintains that its nuclear program is civilian and defends its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.

Since late February, following the U.S. and Israeli attacks against Iran, American and Iranian forces have remained engaged in an escalation of attacks, interrupted by brief pauses. New U.S. offensives have been followed by Iranian retaliation, including attacks on military facilities used by the United States in the Middle East.