Business Insider·3 min read·medium

Trump says Iran could ‘take out’ LA. Its missiles can’t reach that far.

Trump says Iran could ‘take out’ LA. Its missiles can’t reach that far.
✦AI Summary

Business Insider fact-checks claims made by Donald Trump regarding Iran's ability to strike Los Angeles and San Diego with nuclear weapons. Experts confirm that Iran lacks both nuclear weapons and the missile range required to reach the US West Coast.

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Clarifying the capabilities of foreign adversaries is critical for public discourse on national security and foreign policy.

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A US Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber is pictured at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, following the Operation Midnight Hammer Iranian bombing raid, June 22, 2025. 509th Bomb Wing Trump raised a hypothetical strike on Los Angeles and San Diego at a Nebraska rally. Iran has no nuclear program or weapons. Tehran remains a proliferation risk, but not an imminent nuclear threat, program watchers say. Iran cannot strike Los Angeles or San Diego with a nuclear weapon, regardless of President Donald Trump's offhand comments on the campaign trail. Iran has no known nuclear weapons and no known missiles capable of reaching either California city. Tehran is roughly 7,500 miles from California, far beyond the approximately 1,200-mile range of Iran's longest-range ballistic missiles, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency.

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