Washington, February 25 – President Donald Trump declared that the United States had “eliminated Iran’s nuclear weapons program,” urged NATO allies to sharply increase defense spending, and “ended 8 wars” in a sweeping display of American military and geopolitical strength.
Describing what he called “a breathtaking operation” known as “Operation Midnight Hammer,” Trump told Congress that the US military had “eliminated Iran’s nuclear weapons program with an attack on Iranian soil.”
“For decades, it has been the policy of the United States never to allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon,” he said. “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 terrorism to have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump framed the operation as part of a broader national security doctrine. “It’s called PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” he said, adding that the US was investing “a record $1 trillion dollars in the United States Armed Forces this year alone.”
He said that NATO countries had agreed “to pay 5 per cent of GDP for military defense, up from 2 per cent, something that everyone said would never be done.”
Turning to Latin America, Trump claimed that US forces had “utterly defeated the enemy, to end the reign of outlaw dictator Nicolas Maduro, and bring him to face American Justice.” He said that Washington was “working closely with the new president, Delcy Rodriguez, to unleash extraordinary economic gains for both of our countries.”
The President also underscored a tougher counter-narcotics policy. “I designated these Cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and I declared illicit Fentanyl a Weapon of Mass Destruction,” he said, adding that a new military campaign had “virtually stopped it completely coming in by water and sea.”
In one of the most striking passages of the speech, Trump claimed: “In my first 10 months, I ENDED 8 wars—including Cambodia and Thailand, Pakistan and India, Kosovo and Serbia, Israel and Iran.”
He added: “We are working hard to end the 9th war—the killing and slaughter between Russia and Ukraine.”
New Delhi has consistently maintained that all outstanding issues with Islamabad are strictly bilateral and rejects third-party mediation.
Linking foreign policy to economic leverage, Trump defended his tariff strategy. “One of the primary reasons for our country’s stunning economic turnaround… were TARRIFFS,” he said. Despite “an unfortunate ruling from the United States Supreme Court,” he insisted “these powerful, country-saving, peace-protecting tariffs will remain in place.”
“As time goes by, I believe that tariffs, paid for by foreign countries, will… substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax,” he added.
Iran remains central to West Asian geopolitics and global energy markets. India has historically maintained strategic ties with Tehran, particularly in energy imports and regional connectivity initiatives.
India and the United States have expanded defense and strategic cooperation in recent years, especially in the Indo-Pacific, even as New Delhi continues to balance relations across competing global powers.