Iran: Why we’ll not retaliate attack on U.S. soil

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has strongly denied claims by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Tehran’s missile capabilities and said Iran has no intention of attacking the United States, even as the region remains embroiled in an ongoing military confrontation.

The remarks came as tensions in the Middle East escalated sharply following coordinated military strikes by the United States and Israel national defense forces against targets within Iran, drawing international concern and criticism. Russia condemned those strikes as “unprovoked aggression,” warning that the attacks risked broader instability across the region.

In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Araghchi disputed President Trump’s assertion that Iran was developing missiles capable of reaching U.S. territory. He said Tehran had intentionally limited the range of its ballistic missiles to below 2,000 kilometres, explaining that the country did not seek to threaten the United States or Europe. “We don’t want to do that … we only have them to defend ourselves,” Araghchi said, stressing that Iran maintains its missile program solely as a deterrent

Trump’s claims were made in his recent State of the Union address, where he warned that Iran was “working on missiles that will soon reach the United States,” a statement that has been questioned by U.S. intelligence sources, which said there is no current evidence Tehran is developing intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking the U.S. homeland.