As the war involving the United States and Iran continued, US President Donald Trump made a series of comments on Monday about the state of the conflict, saying the military campaign was close to its goals but not yet over, according to Reuters.
In interviews and news conferences, Trump said the US military operation had significantly weakened Iran’s forces and was advancing faster than expected.
“I think the war is pretty much complete,” Trump said in an interview with CBS News, adding that the campaign was “well ahead” of the four- to five-week timeline he had previously suggested.
Trump claimed that Iran’s military capabilities had been severely damaged during the attacks carried out by the United States and Israel.
“They have no navy, no communications, no air force,” Trump said, adding that Iranian missiles and drones had also been largely destroyed.
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This is what all Trump said:
- State of war: Trump claims that the war is “very complete, practically” and that the United States is “way ahead of schedule.”
- Iranian oil: Trump leaves open the possibility of acquiring Iranian oil, saying “certainly people have talked about it.”
- Military operation: Trump describes US involvement as a “short-term” operation to “get rid of some very evil people.”
- Success and goals: Trump says “we’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough,” pointing to a “definitive victory.”
- Iran’s new leader: Trump is “not happy” with Mojtaba Khamenei, but does not specify a preferred alternative.
- Nuclear weapons: Trump wants to ensure that Iran cannot develop nuclear weapons “for a long time.”
- Remaining objectives: The United States still has targets in Iran that could be eliminated “in one day.”
- War timeline: Trump hopes the war will end “very soon.”
US says thousands of targets hit
At a later news conference, Trump said U.S. forces had struck thousands of targets inside Iran. According to his statements, more than 5,000 sites linked to Iran’s military infrastructure had been attacked, including facilities dedicated to the production of drones.
He said the United States knew where Iran makes drones and that those sites were being attacked one after another. Trump added that the remaining targets could be destroyed quickly if necessary.
“We could eliminate them all in one day,” he said, adding that some of the most important targets had been left intact for the moment.
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Trump also said Washington still had options to attack important infrastructure in Iran, including electricity production facilities, but suggested the United States was holding back for now.
“We have left some of the most important objectives for later,” he said, explaining that it could take years for Iran to recover from those attacks.
Trump says US has not yet reached ultimate goal
Despite repeatedly saying that the campaign had made significant progress, Trump also indicated that the United States had not yet fully achieved its goals.
“We’ve already won in many ways, but not enough,” he told Republican lawmakers during a meeting in Florida.
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Trump said the military operation would only end once Iran no longer had the ability to threaten the United States, Israel or other American allies in the region for a long time.
He also described the United States’ role in the conflict as a limited operation. Speaking to lawmakers, Trump said the United States had begun what he called a “short-term” military mission aimed at eliminating “some very evil people.”
The war could end soon
At the same time, the president said the war could end soon.
“The war will be over very soon,” Trump told reporters, while maintaining that US forces were continuing to attack Iranian military sites.
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Trump also commented on Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, saying he had “no message” for him and expressing discontent with his choice as the country’s leader.
The conflict began after US and Israeli attacks on Iranian military targets earlier this month and has since led to retaliatory attacks across the region, raising concerns about a broader war in the Middle East.
