President Donald Trump claimed that the United States faced a serious threat as U.S. forces sent missiles raining down on Iran. He argued that Iran’s progress in missile technology and its renewed nuclear ambitions pushed Washington to act.
Trump spoke at the White House as the United States and Israel launched an assault that began Saturday, which has led to Iranian retaliatory strikes throughout the region. This campaign has put U.S. bases and partner nations on high alert, with the administration warning that the fighting could continue for weeks.
Trump connected the current operation to U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, known as Operation Midnight Hammer. He stated those strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program and that the U.S. warned Tehran not to rebuild it. He claimed Iran disregarded those warnings and continued to seek nuclear weapons.
“But they ignored those warnings and refused to stop their pursuit of nuclear weapons,” Trump said. He added that Iran’s “conventional ballistic missile program was growing quickly and significantly,” creating a “clear, colossal threat” to Americans and U.S. troops stationed abroad.
Trump mentioned that Iran already had missiles capable of reaching Europe and U.S. bases in the region. He warned they “would soon have missiles capable of reaching our beautiful America.”
“An Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would be an unacceptable threat to the Middle East and to the American people,” he said. “Our country itself would be under threat, and it was very nearly under threat.”
🚨UPDATE: IRAN “VERY NEARLY” NUCLEAR-ARMED
Trump says Iran was close to obtaining nuclear weapons and calls current U.S. strikes the “last best chance” to eliminate the threat. pic.twitter.com/e4d7ML5e18
— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) March 2, 2026
The U.S. and Israeli campaign has expanded the conflict that started after the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and has resulted in rising casualties across the region, according to international reports.
U.S. forces have also experienced losses, which won’t bode well at home. U.S. Central Command reported that a fourth U.S. service member died after being “seriously wounded” in Iran’s initial attacks, following three fatalities and five serious injuries previously reported. CENTCOM stated that major combat operations are still ongoing.
Trump said the United States aims to dismantle Iran’s missile capabilities, strike Iranian naval assets, prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and stop Iran from supporting proxy forces in the region. He also noted that planners initially projected a timeline of four to five weeks, while emphasizing that U.S. forces could extend the mission if necessary.
Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strike Trump referenced, involved B-2 bombers flying from the United States and dropping bunker-buster munitions on Iranian nuclear sites, according to U.S. military briefings from that time. U.S. officials indicated initial assessments showed severe damage to several facilities, although they did not immediately declare Iran’s nuclear capability eliminated.
The recent fighting has raised international concerns and led to political backlash at home, with lawmakers in Washington discussing limits on the president’s war powers as the conflict intensifies.
