Iran on Tuesday dismissed as “big lies” U.S. claims that Tehran is advancing a missile program capable of striking the United States, pushing back hours after President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to accuse the Islamic Republic of pursuing “sinister nuclear ambitions.”
The volley of accusations and denials comes on the eve of a new round of diplomacy. After two Oman-mediated sessions, U.S. and Iranian officials are due to meet for a third round of talks Wednesday in Geneva aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program and addressing regional tensions.
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In his nationally televised address, Trump said Iran had “already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.” He also vowed Tehran would “never” be allowed to build a nuclear weapon, while the United States maintains a significant military deployment in and around the Gulf.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei rejected the assertions, without naming Trump. “Whatever they’re alleging in regards to Iran’s nuclear programme, Iran’s ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January’s unrest, is simply the repetition of ‘big lies,’” Baqaei said on X.
Tehran says its nuclear work is for peaceful purposes and denies seeking a bomb. In a February interview with Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran lacks the capability to hit the U.S. homeland but warned that American bases in the Middle East would be targeted if Washington launched a strike.
Washington has pressed for stringent limits, repeatedly calling for zero uranium enrichment by Iran and raising concerns over Tehran’s ballistic missile development and support for militant groups. Iran has rejected those demands, framing them as infringements on its sovereignty and lawful defense posture.
The clash over facts extended to the human toll from recent unrest. Trump said Iranian authorities killed 32,000 people during nationwide protests that began in December and peaked Jan. 8–9. Iranian officials have acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths, attributing violence to “terrorist acts” backed by the United States and Israel. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has recorded more than 7,000 deaths and warned the true toll is likely higher.
The latest exchange underscores the fragile context surrounding the Geneva talks, which seek to stabilize a standoff that has roiled energy markets and drawn in regional powers. U.S. officials have paired diplomacy with pressure, including the deployment of a significant naval force to the Middle East.
Separately, Japan called for the immediate release of a Japanese national detained in Iran. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki told reporters the person was taken into custody Jan. 20, offering no further details.
Radio Free Europe reported that the detainee is Shinnosuke Kawashima, the Tehran bureau chief of Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, and that he had been transferred to a Tehran prison. NHK declined to confirm whether one of its employees was being held.
“As NHK, we always act with the safety of our staff as the top priority. There is nothing we can answer at this stage,” a spokesperson said.
The detention comes as Tehran faces intensified international scrutiny over its security clampdowns at home and as its foreign policy confrontations with Washington enter a critical week of negotiations in Geneva.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
