"My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy, but one thing is certain, I will never allow the world's number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon - can't let that happen."
A fresh round of indirect talks between the two sides, conducted through Swiss mediators, are scheduled for tomorrow in Geneva.
US Representative Al Green (D-TX) protests as President Donald Trump arrives to deliver the State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress at the Capitol on February 24, 2026 (Getty Images)Getty Images
As Trump spoke from the House rostrum, the USS Gerald R Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, remained stationed in the Arabian Sea, within striking distance of Iran.
A recent report from the Wall Street Journal suggested that seamen are facing harsh conditions due to the extended deployment, first to the Caribbean during the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and now in the Middle East.
Nonetheless, it is likely to remain there until either a diplomatic solution is reached or Trump decides to authorise military action.
For its part, Iran says it has agreed "guiding principles" for the negotiations with the US, but insists it will not limit nuclear enrichment - which it claims is solely for civilian energy projects - or accept restrictions on ballistic missile production.
Instead, Iranian negotiators are said to be suggesting that the Islamic Republic's existing stock of enriched uranium could be diluted or moved abroad as a compromise position, though the US reportedly sees any enrichment as a red line.
US Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) shout as President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol on February 24, 2026 (Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images
Trump’s speech, which lasted a record 107 minutes, saw a number of interruptions as he clashed with Democratic hecklers.
At one point Texas Representative Al Green was ejected from the chamber for holding up a sign reading “black people aren’t apes,” reportedly referring to a row earlier this year when Trump shared a video on social media depicting several politicians as animals, which featured Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys.
The president claimed that he had not seen that section at the end of the video, and the clip was later removed.
Despite the interruptions, he used the address, the first state of the union of his second presidential term, to celebrate what he termed the “golden age” of America.
"Our nation is back - bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before,” he declared to chants of “USA” from Republican lawmakers.
However, he steered away from addressing recent controversies, including the partial release of the Epstein Files and the fatal shootings of two US citizens by immigration agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
