Iran Strongly Denies Trump's Claim of Developing Missiles Capable of Hitting US Soil

Tehran. Iran has strongly rejected President Donald Trump's claim that it is developing missiles capable of striking the United States, calling it a "big lie." Tehran has characterized the US's recurring accusations regarding its missile and nuclear programs as baseless propaganda.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baqaei described the US claim as a "repetition of a big lie" via the social media platform X. He refuted allegations concerning Iran's nuclear program, ballistic missile development, and the death toll during the unrest in January.

Although he did not explicitly mention which statement was being targeted, Trump had claimed a few hours earlier that Iran was seeking missile capabilities to reach US territory.

Previously, in an interview with Al Jazeera in February, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Iran does not possess the capability to target the US. However, he warned that if the US attacked, Iranian forces could target US military bases in the Middle East.

During the State of the Union address, President Trump reiterated his commitment never to allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, accusing Tehran's leaders of "again pursuing their ominous nuclear ambitions." Iran, conversely, has consistently maintained that it is not seeking nuclear weapons and has the right to use nuclear technology only for peaceful purposes.

Trump also alleged that Iranian officials killed 32,000 people during the protests that began in December and peaked on January 8 and 9. The Iranian side admitted to the deaths of more than 3,000 people, claiming the violence was caused by "terrorist activities instigated by the United States and Israel."

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported recording over seven thousand deaths and warned that the actual number could be even higher.