Assessing Trump’s Claims on Iran’s Nuclear and Missile Capabilities

President Trump said he ordered airstrikes because an Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would be a "dire threat to every American." Arms control experts have disputed that characterization, saying available evidence does not support an imminent Iranian nuclear-weapon capability or a clearly established long-range missile–nuclear force. The revelation that a U.S. strike hit an elementary school, combined with Trump's handling of the incident, has undercut the administration's credibility and intensified scrutiny of the stated rationale for the campaign.