Donald Trump has warned that Iran is working on a missile that could strike the U.S. as he launched another blistering attack against Tehran’s “sinister” nuclear ambitions. The U.S. president criticized Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for refusing to rein in what he called Iran’s “sinister” nuclear ambitions, and warned that the substantial military forces positioned near Tehran could be used if necessary.

During a rambling State of Union address yesterday, February 25, Trump said: “They’ve 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 did not provide any evidence of this. The president then warned that he would “never allow Tehran to develop a nuclear weapon”.

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During the one hour and 47 minute speech Trump accused Tehran of disregarding his warnings against resuming nuclear enrichment and weapons development following last June’s U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, Natanz, and Esfahan.

“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy but one thing is certain I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror—which they are by far—to have a nuclear weapon”, said the US president.

Trump also said Tehran had killed tens of thousands of people during recent the protests.

Describing the regime as “some terrible people” the 79-year-old leader said: “They’ve killed at least 32,000 protesters in their own country—they shot a lot of them and hung them.”

The death toll remains uncertain but the U.S. based Human Rights Activists Agency (HRANA) says it has confirmed at least 7,015 fatalities, with thousands of additional cases still being assessed.

Iran officials, meanwhile, have acknowledged 3,117 deaths, including roughly 200 members of the security forces.

Rejecting the missile claims, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs today dismissed Donald Trump’s allegations as “great lies.”

Taking to X Esmaeil Baghaei said: “Everything they claim about Iran’s nuclear program, Iranian ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during the January unrest is nothing but a repetition of great lies.”

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson added that “professional liars are good at creating the illusion of truth”.

His tweet concluded that “no one should be fooled by these prominent untruths”.