Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday (February 25, 2026) dismissed U.S. claims about its missile programme as “big lies”, after President Donald Trump said Tehran was developing missiles that can strike the United States.

“Whatever they’re alleging in regards to Iran’s nuclear programme, Iran’s ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January’s unrest, is simply the repetition of ‘big lies’,” Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on X.

Mr. Baqaei did not specify exactly which claims he was responding to, but hours earlier Mr. Trump had said Iran was seeking missiles that could reach American soil.

In an interview with Al Jazeera this month, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran lacked the capability to target the U.S. but would attack American bases in the Middle East if Washington launched a strike.

During his State of the Union speech, Mr. Trump also reiterated that Iran would never be allowed to build a nuclear weapon, saying Tehran’s leaders were “at this moment again pursuing their sinister nuclear ambitions”.

Iran has repeatedly denied it is seeking a nuclear weapon but insists it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

The U.S. President also claimed that Iranian authorities killed 32,000 people during a wave of protests that started in December and peaked on January 8 and 9.

Iranian officials acknowledge more than 3,000 deaths, but say the violence was caused by “terrorist acts” fuelled by the United States and Israel.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has recorded more than 7,000 deaths, while warning the full toll is likely far higher.

Mr. Trump’s claims come after Washington and Tehran concluded two rounds of Oman-mediated talks aimed at reaching a deal on the nuclear programme, with the third-round set for Thursday (February 26).

Washington has repeatedly called for zero uranium enrichment by Iran but has also sought to address its ballistic missile programme and support for militant groups in the region, demands Iran has rejected.

Mr. Trump, who has ratcheted up pressure on Iran to reach an agreement, has deployed a significant naval force to the Middle East.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a fresh round of talks with Washington would take place “soon”, while insisting that enrichment was Tehran’s “inalienable right” and building trust would take time.

Mr. Araghchi said the first round of talks in Oman on Friday (February 6, 2026) had been a “good start”.

“(Nuclear) Enrichment is our inalienable right and must continue. Even with bombing, they could not destroy our capabilities,” Mr. Araghchi said, according to excerpts published in Persian on his official Telegram channel of an interview with the Al Jazeera network.

“We are ready to reach a reassuring agreement on enrichment,” he added during the interview, which was later released in parts by Al Jazeera with Arabic dubbing.

“The Iranian nuclear case will only be resolved through negotiations,” he said.

Mr. Araghchi’s remarks came a day after renewed nuclear talks in Muscat with Washington, which has deployed an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East following Iran’s deadly response to anti-government protests.

Friday’s (February 6) negotiations were the first since nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States collapsed last year following Israel’s unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, which triggered a 12-day war.

During the war U.S. warplanes bombed Iranian nuclear sites.

Mr. Araghchi called Friday’s (February 6) talks “a good start” but insisted that “there is a long way to go to build trust”. He warned that Iran “will attack their (U.S.) bases in the region” if Washington targets Iranian territory. He said the discussions in Muscat were “indirect”, via Omani mediation, but said that there was “an opportunity” for a handshake with the U.S. delegation.

The two sides had agreed to hold another round of talks “soon”, but the date has yet to be determined, Mr. Araghchi said. He said Iran’s missile programme was “never negotiable” because it relates to a “defence issue”.

The United States has sought to address Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its support for militant groups in the region – issues which Israel has pushed to include in the talks, according to media reports.

Tehran has repeatedly rejected expanding the scope of the negotiations beyond the nuclear issue.