The contours of what might be called the Trump Iran Doctrine emerged clearly during the president’s State of the Union Address. It is a doctrine of active diplomacy backed by demonstrated military force — a combination Trump clearly believes gives the United States the strongest possible negotiating position.
Trump revealed that nuclear negotiations with Iran are ongoing, with two rounds of talks completed this month. He said Iran wants a deal, and he does too — but only if it includes Iran’s permanent, unconditional renunciation of nuclear weapons. Anything less, he suggested, would be a deal not worth making.
The military dimension of this doctrine was illustrated by Trump’s discussion of Operation Midnight Hammer, last year’s US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump described the strike as a decisive success that destroyed Iran’s nuclear weapons programme, and framed it as a natural consequence of Iran’s defiance of American warnings.
Trump also raised alarms about Iranian missile capabilities, saying that Tehran’s weapons can already reach Europe and American bases abroad and that longer-range systems targeting the US are in development. He presented this escalating threat as both a reason to push for a diplomatic solution and a reason to remain fully prepared for military action.
Taken together, Trump’s remarks outlined a coherent, if aggressive, strategy: keep talking, keep building military pressure, and make clear at every opportunity that the United States has both the capability and the willingness to act. Whether this doctrine produces a deal — or a confrontation — remains the central question of American foreign policy.
Trump’s Iran Doctrine: Negotiate Hard, Strike Harder If Necessary
