After a month of continuous assaults, President Donald Trump declared Iran’s military “decimated” and warned that US troops could “bring them back to the Stone Ages” within weeks if no agreement was reached.
In a televised speech on Wednesday (local time), Trump asserted that the United States military had been targeting Iran, the world’s top state sponsor of terror, in Operation Epic Fury for just one month and that it had made significant battlefield gains.
“Iran’s navy is no longer tonight. Their Air Force is in shambles. Their leaders have now perished, and Iran’s missile and drone capabilities have been “dramatically curtailed” and its weapons facilities “blown to pieces,” he said.
He presented the campaign as essential for preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Trump referred to the Iranian government as “the most violent and thuggish regime on Earth” and stated, “I have vowed that I would never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. ”
“We completely destroyed those nuclear sites,” he stated, mentioning “Operation Midnight Hammer” and alluding to earlier American attacks. He also said that Iran had tried to restart its program elsewhere.
Trump stated that the goals of the US were to destroy Iran’s military capability and its capacity to exert influence outside of its borders. “These core strategic goals are almost complete,” he stated.
If talks fail, he warned of more escalation.
He stated that “over the next two to three weeks, we’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages,” and that the US might attack Iran’s electric infrastructure if no deal is achieved.
Trump said that regime change was not the expressed objective, but he hinted that there had already been a change in leadership. “Our aim was not regime change… However, he continued, “all of their original leaders’ deaths have resulted in regime change. ”
Recent rise in world oil prices was blamed on Iran by the President, who said it was the result of “deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers. ” He advised nations that are reliant on Middle Eastern oil to diversify their energy sources and protect their transportation lines.
He lauded regional allies, such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain, as “great” partners in the effort.
Trump also emphasized the strength of the US economy, stating that the nation is the world’s largest oil and gas producer and is able to withstand any disruptions caused by the war.
He said that the families of the 13 American service members killed had pleaded with him to “finish the job. ”
Trump claimed that the campaign had already eliminated a significant threat in little more than a month by portraying the operation as historically rapid. “We are on the verge of putting an end to Iran’s nefarious threat to America and the world,” he stated.