Trump says Iran has not met US demands

US President Donald Trump speaking during his State of the Union address

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he prefers to reach an agreement with Iran, but that Tehran’s leaders have not shown a willingness to abandon plans to acquire nuclear weapons.

Speaking during his State of the Union address, Trump said the United States is holding negotiations with Iran and that Tehran wants to reach a deal, but has not declared it will never seek nuclear weapons.

He added that Iran’s missile program threatens Europe and US military bases, and warned that Tehran is developing missiles capable of reaching the United States.

Trump said he prefers to resolve the issue through diplomacy, but vowed he would never allow what he described as the “world’s leading state sponsor of terror” to obtain nuclear weapons.

Turning to domestic issues, Trump said his administration aims to ensure all Americans benefit from stock market gains, while also preventing lawmakers from profiting through illegal means. He said efforts were under way to strengthen oversight to ensure members of Congress do not engage in improper stock trading.

On technology and energy, Trump said companies have pledged to provide power for artificial intelligence data centers and would be allowed to build their own electricity generation facilities. He said this approach would prevent electricity prices from rising for the public and could, in many cases, lead to significant declines in costs.

Trump also outlined his economic agenda, saying tariffs paid by foreign countries would replace income taxes and ease the financial burden on Americans. He called on United States Congress to restrict corporate ownership of residential homes, saying housing should be available for ordinary citizens rather than large companies.

He added that egg prices had fallen by 60% due to his policies. Trump accused Democrats of creating what they describe as an affordability crisis, saying inflation was now falling sharply and that his administration had lowered core inflation to its lowest level in more than five years.

On corruption, Trump said Vice President JD Vance would lead a campaign against fraud, adding that exposing widespread wrongdoing could help strengthen the federal budget. He cited Minnesota as an example, alleging that members of the Somali community had misused billions of dollars in taxpayer funds.

He said corruption was also prevalent in other states such as California and Maine, adding that such practices were damaging the country’s social fabric. Trump said uncontrolled immigration could import corruption and create further challenges.

Trump also said the United States had received more than 80 million barrels of oil from its new partner and friend Venezuela.