Trump claims Iran was three to four weeks away from obtaining a nuclear weapon

U.S. President Donald Trump believes Iran was three to four weeks away from obtaining an atomic weapon in February 2026.

Speaking before supporters in Texas, he recalled the beginning of the operation against the Islamic Republic.

"We had just posted the best [economic] figures in history, but we will have to deviate slightly from that course, since Iran is about to obtain a nuclear weapon. There were three to four weeks left before that, and maybe less, and if they get a nuclear weapon, the whole game is over. We cannot allow them that," the head of state said.

At the end of September, the Islamic Republic's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the assertions that Tehran was on the verge of obtaining a nuclear weapon a lie.