Washington: Before taking a call on military strikes against Iran, US President Donald Trump had already delivered the same message at least 74 times: Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
The White House said Monday that Trump has been “unequivocal and consistent for decades” that Iran will never be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon. It released a compilation of his statements spanning 15 years, beginning in November 2011.
The language rarely changed. The emphasis never did.
On February 24, 2026, Trump said: “After Midnight Hammer, they were warned to make no future attempts to rebuild their weapons programme, and in particular nuclear weapons, yet they continue. They’re starting it all over… 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.”
Five days earlier, on February 19, 2026, he said: “They can’t have nuclear weapons. It’s very simple. You can’t have peace in the Middle East if they have a nuclear weapon. And they can’t have a nuclear weapon, and they’ve been told that very strongly.”
On February 13, 2026, he rejected enrichment outright: “We don’t want any enrichment. We don’t want enrichment.”
Sometimes the remarks were brief, almost clipped.
On February 9, 2026: “No nuclear weapons…”
On February 6, 2026: “The one thing, and right up front — no nuclear weapons.”
On January 29, 2026: “Number one, no nuclear.”
On June 25, 2025, Trump said: “I’ve said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon — I’ve said that for 15 years, long before I decided to do the political thing.”
The message stretches back well before his presidency.
On November 3, 2024, he warned: “Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. Nuclear weapons are the greatest single threat to our country, but to the entire world.”
On October 7, 2024, he said: “I only wanted one thing. You can’t have a nuclear weapon. You cannot let them have a nuclear weapon.”
On August 27, 2024, he added a regional warning: “They can’t have a nuclear weapon. We just can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. I’ll say this. If they do have a nuclear weapon, Israel is gone. It’ll be gone.”
Further back, on January 6, 2020, Trump declared in capital letters: “IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!”
On June 22, 2019, he said: “Iran cannot have Nuclear Weapons!”
And on November 4, 2011, years before entering the White House, he stated: “We can’t allow Iran to go nuclear.”
Across rallies, interviews and official statements, the phrasing shifted. The core demand did not. The White House described the position as rooted in longstanding American policy to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb.
Iran’s nuclear programme has dominated US policy in West Asia for more than a decade. Disputes over uranium enrichment, sanctions and inspections have triggered diplomatic standoffs and periodic escalations.
(IANS)
