Lawmakers had hoped President Donald Trump’s State of the Union would offer more clarity on the United States’ plans for potential military strikes against Iran. But reality fell far short of expectations Tuesday night.
As all signs point to imminent military action targeting Tehran, congressional defense hawks looked to the annual address to fill out more details on the United States’ posture in the region.
While Trump warned of the threat Iran’s nuclear aspirations pose and nodded toward ongoing bilateral talks between the two countries, the president didn’t indicate where he sees things headed — or what action the United States could take.
“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,” Trump said. “Can’t let that happen.”
The comments came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed top lawmakers on the administration’s plans for Iran. Talks between the U.S. and Iran are slated for Thursday in Geneva.
“We are in negotiations with them,” Trump said of Iranian officials. “They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon.’”
Hill reaction. Lawmakers of both parties lamented the lack of insight on Iran.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said that although Trump focused on preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, “he did not give any clarity as to why he’s deployed a massive armada to the Middle East and what his objectives are.”
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) also wanted more information.
“He didn’t really say that we’re going after nuclear weapons or we’re going after regime change,” Bacon said of Trump. “[Trump] needs to articulate what his goal is there. He didn’t do that.”
Not everyone agreed.
“The president made it very clear what needs to happen, what Iran needs to do, and what he’s expecting of them, but there will not be a nuclear-armed Iran and President Trump made that crystal clear,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told reporters.
