Trump said that Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed. He added that Trump says he is going to “finish the job very fast” and will not let Middle East allies “get hurt”.
US President Donald Trump has claimed victory over the US-Israeli war against Iran, claiming US military action has destroyed Tehran’s military prowess and will ‘finish the job’ very soon, as ‘core strategic objectives are nearing completion’. Addressing the nation about his plans in the Middle East, the commander-in-chief said US forces will hit Iran ‘extremely hard’ for the next 2-3 weeks and again threatened Iranian power plants.
Trump also urged other nations, including US allies, to show ‘courage’ and ‘take care’ of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway under Iran’s chokehold.
Trump Claims Victory
The US president said it had been “just one month since the United States military began Operation Epic Fury targeting the world’s number one state sponsor of terror, Iran”, claiming rapid battlefield gains.
“Tonight, Iran’s navy is gone, their air force is in ruins, their leaders, most of them… are now dead. Their command and control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is being decimated as we speak, their ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed, and their weapons, factories, and rocket launchers are being blown to pieces,” he said.
“Our enemies are losing–and America, as it has been for five years under my presidency, is winning, and now, winning bigger than ever before.”
US To End War Soon
Trump said US objectives were to “systematically dismantle the regime’s ability to threaten America or project power outside of their borders”.
“Tonight I am pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” he said, declaring the US is “nearing completion” of its various military objectives and vows to “finish the job very fast”. Trump also vowed to not let Middle East allies, including Israel, “get hurt” in the war or fail.
He warned of further escalation if negotiations fail.
“Over the next two to three weeks, we are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong,” he said, adding that US forces would meet all their battlefield goals “very, very shortly.” He also said that the US could target Iran’s electric infrastructure if no agreement is reached.
Why War Was Needed
Trump stated that regime change in Iran was not the stated goal of the war and suggested leadership shifts had already taken place. “Regime change was not our goal… but regime change has occurred because of all of their original leaders’ deaths,” he said.
The US president explained the war against Iran was “necessary for the safety of America” and the world. Listing several attacks carried out by Iran or its proxies over the years, Trump called the Islamic regime running the country “thuggish and murderous”, also pointing to a recent crackdown on protest in the country which killed thousands of citizens.
He said leaders like that cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
“From the very first day I announced my campaign, I have vowed that I would never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. This fanatical regime has been chanting “Death to America” for 47 years — and it should have been handled long before I arrived in office,” he said.
He also talked about the so-called steps he’s taken against Iran, such as the killing of Qasem Soleimani and his termination of Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear deal. “Essentially, I did what no other president was willing to do — they made mistakes, and I am correcting them.”
“My first preference was always the path of diplomacy. Yet, the regime continued their relentless quest for nuclear weapons and rejected every attempt at an agreement,’ he claimed.
‘Iran On Doorstep Of Nukes’
Referring to earlier US strikes, he said, “We totally obliterated those nuclear sites,” citing “Operation Midnight Hammer,” and claimed Iran had attempted to rebuild its programme elsewhere.
He said Tehran was fast developing longer-range missiles and was “right at the doorstep” of developing a nuclear weapon.
A nuclear Iran was an ‘intolerable threat’, he added.