{"id":2572767,"date":"2026-02-23T19:55:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T00:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iran-buildup-hangs-over-trump-state-of-the-union-address\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T19:56:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T00:56:58","slug":"iran-buildup-hangs-over-trump-state-of-the-union-address","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iran-buildup-hangs-over-trump-state-of-the-union-address\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran buildup hangs over Trump State of the Union address"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Firan-buildup-hangs-over-trump-state-of-the-union-address%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2572767&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece centers on the U.S. military buildup near Iran ahead of President Trump\u2019s State of the union address and how it is fueling sharp partisan tension in washington. It notes that while the White House says the goal is a diplomatic path to dismantle Iran\u2019s nuclear program, the deployment of ships, aircraft carriers, and fighter jets has intensified debate over war powers and the potential for military action. Republicans largely back Trump\u2019s approach, but a few Democrats are pushing for congressional authorization or a vote on war powers, signaling a possible split within the party. the article also discusses ongoing Geneva negotiations with Iran and the White House\u2019s efforts to balance diplomacy with pressure.The State of the Union comes as the administration faces a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >partial government shutdown<\/a> and a Supreme Court ruling affecting tariffs, complicating the political landscape and raising questions about objectives, costs, and risks of any potential escalation. Public opinion is portrayed as wary or unsettled about further strikes and broader intervention.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Iran buildup hangs over Trump State of the Union address<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2514056\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Lawmakers are expecting to hear directly from their commander in chief on Tuesday night about a U.S. military buildup near <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\">Iran<\/a> that is dividing Washington sharply along party lines.<\/p>\n<p>The prospect of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/military\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"266\">military strikes<\/a> against Iran has cast a cloud of uncertainty over Tuesday&rsquo;s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/state-of-the-union\/\">State of the Union<\/a> address, in which Trump is preparing to defend a domestic and foreign policy agenda that has become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-lawless-border-of-horrors-pregnant-12-year-olds-drowned-babies-rape-trees-organ-harvesting\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s Lawless Border of Horrors: Pregnant 12-year-olds, Drowned Babies, \u2018Rape Trees,\u2019 Organ Harvesting\u2026\">political lightning rod<\/a> on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4467531\/lamonica-mciver-deliver-action-rebuttal-union\/\">LaMonica McIver to deliver prebuttal to Trump&#8217;s State of the Union<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4465340\/trump-national-angel-family-day-illegal-immigration-laken-riley\/\">Trump declares National Angel Family Day for illegal immigrants&#8217; victims<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4467384\/watch-live-trump-hosts-angel-families-white-house-anniversary-laken-riley-killing\/\">WATCH LIVE: Trump hosts &#8216;Angel Families&#8217; at White House on anniversary of Laken Riley&#8217;s killing<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The White House has repeatedly stated it prefers a diplomatic solution to dismantle Iran&rsquo;s nuclear program, with the buildup seen as a way to gain leverage over Tehran. But Trump&rsquo;s continued deployments, including two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-biden-abandon-taiwan\/\" title=\"Will Biden Abandon Taiwan?\">aircraft carrier strike groups<\/a>, have reignited congressional debate over his war powers and calls for him to come before Congress to authorize an attack.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s just one of several controversies Trump will have to navigate when he visits the Capitol for the first State of the Union of his second term. His speech comes amid a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4463197\/trump-administration-halts-fema-deployment-shutdown\/\">partial government shutdown<\/a> over the tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a Friday Supreme Court ruling that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4468281\/trump-worldwide-tariff-rebuke-congress-before-2026-elections\/\">struck down the bedrock<\/a> of his tariff regime.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a long one because we have so much to talk about,&rdquo; Trump told reporters on Monday.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-on-defense\/4467177\/trump-ratchets-up-pressure-on-iran-both-sides-seek-off-ramp\/\"><strong>AS TRUMP RATCHETS UP PRESSURE ON IRAN, BOTH SIDES SEEK OFF-RAMP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In the case of Iran, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republicans\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"240\">Republicans<\/a> have signaled they will stand virtually united with Trump, making the early congressional friction largely a partisan exercise. Still, the U.S. buildup, a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/18\/us\/politics\/us-military-iran.html\">show of military might<\/a> that includes destroyers, submarines, and dozens of fighter jets, could drive a new wedge between Trump and his more isolationist base after an earlier strike on Iran&rsquo;s nuclear facilities last year.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-denies-military-leaders-warned-him-against-quick-withdrawal-date\/\" title=\"Biden Denies ... Leaders Warned Him Against Quick Withdrawal Date\">top military advisers<\/a> are <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/02\/23\/iran-strike-trump-gen-dan-caine-vance-rubio\">reportedly weighing<\/a> the <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">risks of a protracted fight, though the president&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/116121997925438698\">downplayed the odds of failure<\/a>&nbsp;on Tru<\/span>th Social Monday. And like that in Venezuela, the president has repeatedly suggested his goals could include <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/13\/us\/politics\/trump-iran-regime-change.html\">regime change<\/a> in Tehran.<\/p>\n<p>For Democrats, conflict with Iran is threatening to fray the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4430179\/house-vote-trump-war-powers-venezuela\/\">unity they showed last month<\/a> when all House Democrats voted on a symbolic measure to rein in Trump after the overthrow of ex-Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. So far, Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) have said they will <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/jewishinsider.com\/2026\/02\/moskowitz-gottheimer-oppose-iran-war-powers-resolution\/\">buck their party<\/a> on an Iranian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iran-conflict-gives-lawmakers-whiplash-ahead-of-war-powers-vote\/\" title=\"... conflict gives lawmakers whiplash ahead of ... ...\">war powers vote<\/a> that could happen <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4463343\/ro-khanna-thomas-massie-try-force-war-powers-resolution-vote-iran\/\">as early as this week<\/a>, citing a desire to give the president flexibility.<\/p>\n<p>The White House has yet to detail what Trump might say about Iran in his State of the Union, but the speech presents a rare chance to defend his actions before tens of millions of primetime viewers, something Republicans do not want him to squander.<\/p>\n<p>American negotiators are expected to meet with their Iranian counterparts in Geneva on Thursday for another round of negotiations, as advisers weigh both targeted and broader military options.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The public needs to know what is at stake,&rdquo; Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, calling the address the &ldquo;right&rdquo; opportunity to bring up Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Bacon was one of two House Republicans who voted to rein in Trump after his military operation in Venezuela, but he has taken a decidedly hawkish view on Iran, falling in the camp of Republicans who believe Trump risks damaging his credibility abroad if the United States does not follow through on its military threat.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement last week, Bacon noted that Trump sided with the Iranian people in a government crackdown that is estimated to have killed tens of thousands of protesters.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He promised the Iranians that we would support them if they stood up against the regime,&rdquo; Bacon <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepDonBacon\/status\/2024524546250809676?s=20\">said<\/a>. &ldquo;There cannot be empty promises.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Those voices are clashing with Trump allies, who view further military intervention skeptically and have been critical of the president&rsquo;s heavy emphasis on foreign policy. Yet on Capitol Hill, Republicans have given him wide latitude, with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/thomas-massie\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"17668\">Thomas Massie<\/a> (R-KY) standing as the only House Republican co-sponsoring the Iran war powers resolution.<\/p>\n<p>In the Senate, Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tim-kaine\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1134\">Tim Kaine<\/a> (D-VA) has a similar measure ready to bring to the floor, but is likely to face the same setback as last July, when Republicans <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3455423\/war-powers-vote-limit-trump-military-authority-fails-senate\/\">comfortably defeated<\/a> a war powers vote that came after Trump&rsquo;s strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4460964\/trump-dhs-shutdown-bully-pulpit-state-union\/\"><strong>TRUMP TO GET DHS SHUTDOWN &lsquo;BULLY PULPIT&rsquo; WITH STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Democrats argue that Trump is overstepping his executive authority with the strikes and owes it to lawmakers to communicate his end objective in Iran. His tariffs more readily tie into their message for the midterm elections, when they will make an affordability pitch to voters. But polling also shows the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/poll.qu.edu\/poll-release?releaseid=3945\">public is uneasy<\/a> about further strikes and widely supportive of congressional approval.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The administration has yet to articulate to Congress and the American people what the objectives or strategy would be for any potential military campaign against Iran, let alone what it would mean for the lives of American service members or the costs for American taxpayers,&rdquo; Senate Minority Leader<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-schumer\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"384\"> Chuck Schumer<\/a> (D-NY) said on Friday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iran buildup shadows Trump&#8217;s State of the Union<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2572768,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26054558255461-e1771889489986.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[4551,32404,3823,73673,3634],"class_list":["post-2572767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-foreign-policy","tag-geopolitics","tag-iran","tag-state-of-the-union-2","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26054558255461-e1771889489986.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2572767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2572767"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2572767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2572771,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2572767\/revisions\/2572771"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2572768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2572767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2572767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2572767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}