Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: President Donald Trump said that the US campaign against Iran would end very soon, defining victory as the point at which Tehran no longer has the capacity to develop weapons that could threaten the United States, Israel, or its allies. At a Florida news conference on March 9, Trump said the military campaign had already destroyed major elements of Iran’s military capability and leadership.
“No. But I think soon,” Trump said when asked how long the conflict might last. “Very soon.” Trump said the United States had already severely degraded Iran’s military structure, including its naval power, missile systems, and drone capability.
“Everything they have is gone, including their leadership,” he said. “In fact, there are two levels of leadership and even actually, as it turns out more than that.” The President said the US and Israeli forces had struck thousands of targets during the operation.
“We’ve struck over 5,000 targets to date,” Trump said. He also claimed the Iranian navy had been largely destroyed. “Most of Iran’s naval power has been sunk,” he said. Trump said US forces were also targeting the country’s drone and missile manufacturing networks.
“Their missile capability is down to about 10 percent, maybe less,” he said. “Their drone manufacturing has been hit starting today.” Despite declaring the campaign largely successful, Trump said the United States could expand strikes if necessary. “We’ve left some of the most important targets for later in case we need to do it,” he said. “If we hit them, it’s going to take many years for them to be rebuilt.”
