US president warns Tehran amid Middle East troop buildup
\n Washington
\nUS President Donald Trump on Tuesday briefly outlined his case for a possible attack on Iran during his State of the Union address, saying he would not allow what he called the world\u2019s biggest sponsor of terrorism to obtain a nuclear weapon.
\nEven while assembling a massive military force in the Middle East, Trump has offered a limited public explanation for why the United States might undertake its most aggressive action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.
\nIn his speech, Trump cited Tehran\u2019s support for militant groups, its handling of protesters, and its missile and nuclear programmes as threats to the region and the United States.
\n\u201cThe (Iranian) regime and its murderous proxies have spread nothing but terrorism and death and hate,\u201d the Republican president said about 90 minutes into his annual address to a joint session of Congress.
\n He accused Iran of restarting its nuclear programme, developing missiles that could \u201csoon\u201d reach the United States, and being responsible for roadside bombings that killed US service members and civilians.
\nIranian state media have claimed Tehran is developing a missile capable of reaching North America.
\nThe lead-up to Trump\u2019s address was overshadowed by the US military buildup in the Middle East and preparations for a possible conflict with Iran that could last weeks if Tehran fails to reach a deal resolving the longstanding dispute over its nuclear programme.
\nTrump has repeatedly expressed frustration over stalled negotiations. \u201cThey want to make a deal, but we haven\u2019t heard those secret words, \u2018We will never have a nuclear weapon,\u2019\u201d he said.
\nIran maintains its nuclear research is for civilian energy purposes.
\nTrump also blamed Tehran for the deaths of thousands of protesters during recent anti-government demonstrations, although the figure he cited \u2014 32,000 \u2014 is far higher than most public estimates.
\n\u2018Forever wars\u2019
\nSecretary of State Marco Rubio briefed Congress\u2019 \u201cGang of Eight\u201d on Iran hours before the speech.
\n\u201cFirst and foremost, if they want to do something in Iran \u2014 and who the hell knows what it is \u2014 they should make it public and discuss it with the public and not keep it secret,\u201d Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters ahead of the classified session. \u201cWhen you do these military operations in secret, it always causes longer wars, tragedy, more expenses and mistake(s).\u201d
\nAdvisers had urged Trump to focus on the economy, immigration and other domestic priorities, and he devoted most of his nearly two-hour address to those issues.
\nTrump and fellow Republicans rose to prominence with support from a political base that backs his \u201cAmerica First\u201d agenda and his pledge to end an era of \u201cforever wars\u201d such as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
\nHowever, opinion polls suggest the party may struggle to retain control of Congress in November\u2019s midterm elections.
\nPolls also show Americans remain wary of foreign conflicts. A Reuters\/Ipsos poll in January found 69% of Americans agreed the US should only use its military when facing a direct and imminent threat, while 18% disagreed and the rest were unsure or did not respond.
\nTrump ordered strikes on Iran last year, saying in July they had \u201cobliterated\u201d the country\u2019s nuclear facilities. His aides have since claimed Iran is very close to developing nuclear bombs.
\nAddressing the issue on Tuesday, Trump said: \u201cThey (Iran\u2019s leaders) want to start all over again, and are, at this moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions.\u201d
\nTrump added he preferred peace, listing several global conflicts he says he helped end or ease.
\n\u201cAs president, I will make peace wherever I can, but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we must,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
US president warns Tehran amid Middle East troop buildup Washington US President Donald Trump on Tuesday briefly outlined his case for a possible attack on Iran during his State of the Union address, saying he would not allow what he called the world\u2019s biggest sponsor of terrorism to obtain a nuclear weapon. Even while assembling […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":533570,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-533549","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n