Trump rates US progress in Iran war ’15 out of 10′ as war dead named | US | News
Donald Trump declared that America’s military action against Iran had exceeded all expectations and told reporters that he would rate US progress at “15 out of 10” as the names of the last two soldiers killed in the conflict were released by the Pentagon.
Addressing reporters at the White House, Trump stated that his forces were in a “very strong position” and described the five-day joint attack with Israel as “tremendous progress.”
“Someone said, where would you rate it out of 10? I said around 15,” he said.
Returning to a well-known claim, he insisted that had it not been for the attacks, Iran would have had a nuclear weapon “within two weeks”; That statement contradicted the International Atomic Energy Agency’s assessment on Tuesday that there was “no evidence” that Iran was pursuing a nuclear bomb.
The names of the last two soldiers have been revealed
The two unnamed casualties from Sunday’s drone attack on a U.S. command center in Kuwait were identified Wednesday as Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan, 54, and Major Jeffrey O’Brien, 45.
According to the Ministry of Defense, Marzan was “believed to be the person who died at the scene”, pending official confirmation from a medical examination. The names of the other 4 soldiers who lost their lives in the same attack were announced the previous day.
Trump has previously acknowledged that more deaths are likely. “Unfortunately, there will be more before it’s over. That’s just the way it is,” he said. He added that the White House plans to be there for honorable transfers when the fallen soldiers are taken home.
Netanyahu’s office framed the campaign in sweeping terms, noting in a video statement from spokesman Shosh Bedrosian: “Together, Israel and the United States have achieved historic gains to protect our citizens and the civilized world.”
Bedrosian argued that military action was inevitable, pointing to Iran’s claim that it was rebuilding its nuclear program in “new underground bunkers” and intelligence suggesting that Tehran was preparing to “attack Israel and American forces in the Middle East.”
Kurdish ground attack rejected
Reports of a Kurdish ground attack on Iranian territory were denied by both Washington and Erbil. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump had held talks with Kurdish leaders regarding the American base in Northern Iraq, but emphasized that “any report suggesting that the president has agreed to such a plan is completely false and should not be written.”
Aziz Ahmed, deputy chief of staff to the prime minister of the Kurdistan region, was equally dismissive. “Not a single Iraqi Kurd crossed the border,” he said.
On Capitol Hill, an attempt by Senate Democrats to force Trump to seek authorization from Congress for more attacks collapsed Wednesday night as the resolution failed to clear the chamber; It gave the president the freedom to proceed without legislative constraint.
