Nikki Haley urges Trump to make Iran nuclear action a ‘legacy-defining moment’

Former U.S. Amb. to the United Nations Nikki Haley said President Donald Trump nipping Iran in the bud would be a “legacy-defining” move for the commander-in-chief during an interview Tuesday on Fox News.

Haley discussed ongoing tensions in the Middle East, GOP midterm strategy and more in a wide-ranging interview with “Special Report” anchor Bret Baier.

“You can either have Obama 2.0 where you negotiate another nuclear deal and give them sanction relief and watch this whole thing happen again, or you can actually be strong and nip this in the bud so that we never have to deal with it again,” Haley said. “Call it what you want — it’s the right thing to do.”

Haley’s remarks come days ahead of Trump’s scheduled meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which they will discuss Iran, and days after the United States held nuclear talks with Iran.

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President Donald Trump promised severe consequences if Iran killed protesters. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo:MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Both the United States and Iran said the talks went well. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected the United States’ nuclear demands, maintaining that the country will not negotiate over its ballistic missile program.

Haley said it is important that the United States maintain its demands, including an end to nuclear enrichment and ballistic missile activity, freedom for the Iranian people and no funding for Iranian proxies.

“Iran’s never going to agree to that, and that’s why I think the president needs to take his moment and make this a legacy-defining moment,” she told Fox News.

Trump issued a warning to Iran in January if it refuses to negotiate a nuclear deal.

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“As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again,” the president wrote Jan. 28 on Truth Social.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has rejected the United States’ demands that the country rid its nuclear and ballistic missile program. (Vahid Salemi/AP)

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Baier noted that U.S. military assets are in place, ready to take action in the Middle East at the president’s direction.

“My guess is, he’s moved all those resources there for a reason,” Haley said.

Haley also noted that the use of U.S. forces should not be squandered, insisting that the United States must end Iran’s nuclear capabilities. 

“The one thing you don’t want to do is you don’t want to send all these resources over there and then still have the Iranian regime standing,” she said.

“They need to work closely with Israel on making sure that this is finished,” Haley added.

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This June 24, 2025, satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows bomb damage at Iran’s Fordow Fuel Enrichment Facility. The image reveals craters and destruction at a perimeter installation following U.S. airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure as part of Operation Midnight Hammer. (Maxar Technologies)

The former South Carolina governor applauded the administration’s Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025 that decimated Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“Iran has never been weaker than they are right now,” she said. “He did a great thing when he did Operation Midnight Hammer and weakened them, he stood with Israel and made sure that we weakened their proxies.”

Haley also said U.S. momentum against Iran cannot waver, while saying that Trump must resolve this issue before the end of his term.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves to the crowd during a meeting with officials, Islamic countries’ ambassador to Iran and a group of people in Tehran, Iran, on March 31, 2025.  (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

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“At the end of the day, what you don’t want is to give them a hand to step back up again,” Haley said.

“What would be horrible is for President Trump to leave office, and Iran once again show that they’ve been enriching nuclear material, they’ve been suppressing their people, they’ve been paying off military proxies. All those things come back up, and all this will be for nothing,” she added.