Intelligence Says Trump’s Iran Missile Warning Is Not Backed by Facts

Post by : Saif Nasser

In a major speech to the United States Congress, President Donald Trump said that Iran was getting close to developing missiles that could reach the United States. He used this claim to warn of a growing threat and to support possible action against Iran. The president’s message suggested that Iran posed a serious and immediate danger because it could soon build long-range weapons. However, several current and former U.S. intelligence sources have told Reuters that this claim does not match what the best intelligence assessments show.

According to these intelligence sources, the latest unclassified report from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency does not find that Iran is about to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. The report says that Iran could take many more years to build such a missile even if it tried. In fact, the report estimates that Tehran might need until around the year 2035 to complete such a program. This timeline stands in contrast to the president’s statement and suggests that Iran is not as close to this level of missile technology as was claimed.

Officials who spoke to Reuters said that even with help from other countries, Iran would still face major technical hurdles before it could create a missile system with that kind of range. They added that they have not seen any recent intelligence showing a sudden change in Iran’s capabilities. This difference between the president’s warning and what intelligence assessments suggest has raised questions about how the information is being used.

The issue matters because decisions about war and peace should be based on accurate and verified information. When political leaders make statements that do not align with intelligence reports, it can create confusion among the public and among foreign governments. Some outside experts have noted similarities between the way threats were described in the past and the current situation, raising concerns about how such claims are presented in public debate.

Iran itself has strongly rejected the idea that it is building missiles that could strike the United States. Iranian leaders have called the U.S. claims “big lies” and have said their missile programs are for defense only. Tehran insists its nuclear activities are peaceful and maintains that its missile work is meant to protect the country, not to threaten distant nations.

U.S. intelligence agencies and the United Nations nuclear watchdog have previously reported that Iran stopped its known nuclear weapons program many years ago. Iran continues to enrich uranium, a process that can be used for either peaceful energy needs or, at higher levels, for weapons. This dual-use nature of the technology remains a central part of ongoing diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran.

The disagreement over Iran’s missile capabilities comes at a tense time. Diplomatic efforts aimed at easing tensions have been underway in Geneva, while U.S. military forces are present in the Middle East as a show of strength. The U.S. government says it prefers diplomacy, but it has also made clear that it may act if it believes Iran is an immediate threat.

Accurate and clear information is critical when leaders and citizens consider major issues like national security and international conflict. In this case, top intelligence officials seem to suggest that the threat described in the president’s speech is not as near or severe as it was presented. That leaves both policymakers and the public with important questions about how best to respond to Iran’s activities in the years ahead.