If there was ever a purpose to the war, it was to curtail Iran’s capacity to develop a nuclear weapon. Trump harped on that goal repeatedly in his speech, noting that he had long vowed that he “would never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon”. But he didn’t mention that Iran has long agreed to eschew a nuclear weapon. Trump mocked Obama for having given Iran $1.7bn in cash as part of the nuclear deal. Trading a ceasefire for reopening the strait can be done readily, but negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program are more complicated.

Source: The Guardian April 03, 2026 04:11 UTC