There were plenty of clues in his State of the Union address last night.

“America is Back.”

It was the main theme of U.S. President’s State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. this week.

In many ways it was just like any State of Union speeches these last many years now. One half of the room cheers and applauds while the other side sits stone-faced and seethes.

And in some cases yells.

Yet, because it’s Donald Trump, there are always bound to be some surprises. They don’t exactly love him for it, but Trump cribbed his high-production value, hire-Steve-Spielberg-to-produce-it style from Democrats.

The President talked for two hours and every journalist in Washington is probably still parsing the footage and re-reading the transcript. Love him or hate him, Trump says what he means. 

He telegraphs many moves to the press, though he usually throws something shiny in for them to grapple over instead. Take Iran, for instance.

The drums of war between the U.S. and Iran, and Iran and Israel, and Iran and the world, have been growing louder and louder since January, when massive protests rocked the nation and it looked, for a moment, as if freedom might finally be at hand for the good people of Iran.

And long before.

Iran is well known to have been behind some of the terrorist proxy groups that attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. 

And according to Trump administration officials this week, Iran is currently one week away from refining enough uranium to build a nuclear bomb. The U.S. cannot allow that to happen, according to people familiar with the matter.

Israel will not allow that to happen.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said as much, plainly.

What did Donald Trump say about what we might expect in the coming week, as far as Iran goes?

According to President Trump, this conflict is about one thing: Preventing a nuclear Iran.

“That’s why in a breakthrough operation last June, the United States military obliterated Iran’s nuclear weapons program with an attack on Iranian soil known as Operation Midnight Hammer.”

“For decades, it has been the policy of the United States never to allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.”

“Since they seized control of that proud nation 47 years ago, the regime and its murderous proxies have spread nothing but terrorism and death and hate.”

“They’ve killed and maimed thousands of American service members and hundreds of thousands and even millions of people. With what’s called roadside bombs. They were the kings of the roadside bomb. And we took out Soleimani. I did that during my first term. Had a huge impact. He was the father of the roadside bomb.”

“After Midnight Hammer, they were warned to make no future attempts to rebuild their weapons program, and in particular nuclear weapons, yet they continue. They’re starting it all over. We wiped it out and they want to start it all over again and are at this moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions.”

“We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words, ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon.’”

“My preference, my preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s №1 sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen.”

The President’s remarks about Iran, in many ways, were part of his larger theme of “Peace Through Strength.”

Trump alluded to ending multiple global conflicts, negotiating ceasefires, and demanding NATO burden-sharing. Working to end the Russia–Ukraine war was listed as a key priority of the administration.

There was a great deal in the speech to unpack. 

But this situation with Iran is as tense as it’s ever been. Tensions are extremely high in this long-simmering conflict. Wars don’t always start by decree. They start by degree until the situation reaches a breaking point.

And the clock is ticking.

(Contributing writer, Brooke Bell)