Iran reacts to Trump's 2026 State of the Union, accuses him of "big lies"

Iran's Foreign Ministry accused President Trump of repeating 'big lies' about the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and the death toll from its crackdown on anti-government protests in January 2026, as the two countries prepare for another round of negotiations over Iran's contested uranium enrichment program with the threat of U.S. military action looming over the talks. Iranian officials dismissed Trump's claims that they are working to develop a nuclear weapon, accusing him of trying to 'repeat a lie often enough until it becomes the truth,' referencing a propaganda maxim attributed to Nazi Joseph Goebbels. During his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, Trump repeated his claim that the U.S. 'obliterated Iran's nuclear weapons program' with strikes in June 2025, a claim the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency, the IAEA, has recently cast doubt on. The president also asserted that Iranian security forces killed 32,000 people during their crackdown on recent protests against the regime, a figure far higher than previously reported and magnitudes greater than officials in Tehran have admitted to publicly. Satellite images from late January showed roofs built over two of Iran's nuclear facilities in Natanz and Isfahan that were damaged by U.S. strikes last summer, potentially indicating efforts to salvage remaining materials, though the nature of any new work at those sites has not been confirmed. With the next round of nuclear talks due to commence in Geneva, Iranian officials sent mixed signals about their diplomatic posture. While Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that Iran was 'ready for a defense that will make the aggressor regret their actions,' Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed optimism about reaching a diplomatic solution. 'We have a historic opportunity to strike an unprecedented agreement that addresses mutual concerns and achieves mutual interests,' Araghchi said in a social media post, adding that a deal was 'within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority.' However, he reiterated Iran's position that 'enrichment is our right' as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Analysts like Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House, warned that a military clash appears imminent, with the two sides still appearing too far apart on key issues, particularly regarding Iran's right to uranium enrichment for peaceful purposes.