U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that American forces have dealt devastating blows to Iran’s military capabilities, declaring that key objectives of the ongoing campaign are “nearing completion.”
In a nationally televised address, Trump said the operation, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, has significantly weakened Iran’s ability to project power and develop nuclear weapons.
“Tonight, Iran’s navy is gone. Their air force is in ruins,” Trump said. “Their ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed… Very few of them left.”
He added that the United States is “systematically dismantling the regime’s ability to threaten America,” insisting that the campaign has achieved unprecedented results in a short time.
“Never in the history of warfare has an enemy suffered such clear and devastating large-scale losses in a matter of weeks,” he said.
The U.S. leader maintained that Iran’s nuclear ambitions prompted the military action, stressing that diplomacy had failed.
“For years everyone has said Iran can’t have nuclear weapons, but in the end, those are just words if you’re not willing to take action when the time comes,” Trump said.
He also defended earlier strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, saying, “We totally obliterated those nuclear sites,” while warning that any attempt by Iran to rebuild would be met with further attacks.
“If we see them make a move… we’ll hit them with missiles very hard again,” he said.
Trump said the U.S. military would intensify operations in the coming weeks to secure final outcomes.
“We’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” he said. “We’re getting very close.”
