Trump says Iran is ‘no longer a threat’ after 32-day US military strikes

Minister Donald Trump He declared Iran “essentially no longer a threat” after a 32-day U.S. military campaign, and told Americans in a prime time address Wednesday that the country had been “gutted” after weeks of attacks.

Despite this, Trump said that the United States was preparing for additional attacks in the coming weeks as diplomatic discussions continued.

“Tonight, I can say that we are on track to quickly complete all of America’s military objectives. In a very short period of time, we will hit them extremely hard.” next two to three weeksTrump said, “We will bring them back to the Stone Age, where they belong. Meanwhile, discussions continue.”

INSIDE THE IRANIAN ARMY: MISSILES, MILITIA AND A FORCE BUILT FOR SURVIVAL

“We have all the cards. We don’t have any of them,” Trump said. “America’s participation in World War II lasted three years, eight months and 25 days,” the president continued, noting that the Vietnam War lasted 19 years and the Iraq War eight years.

“We have been in this military operation for 32 days,” he said. “And the country was gutted and essentially no longer a threat.”

Trump drew attention to US attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, saying that the areas hit by B-2 bombers were “destroyed” and warned that the US could launch additional attacks if Tehran tried to save nuclear material.

“The nuclear sites we destroyed with B-2 bombers were hit so hard it will take months to get close to the nuclear dust,” Trump said. “If we see them making a move, or even making a move for it, we’ll hit them hard with missiles.”

The remarks come as key questions remain about the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, which international observer estimates include about 900 to 1,000 pounds of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium.

The conflict has caused volatility in global energy markets and rising fuel costs For Americans.

WHY TRUMP AND IRAN ARE SEVERAL YEARS DIFFERENT ABOUT A POSSIBLE DEAL TO END THE WAR

Addressing these concerns directly, Trump blamed the recent increases in gasoline prices on Iran’s attacks targeting commercial shipping and regional infrastructure.

“Many Americans are concerned about seeing the recent increase in gas prices here,” Trump said. “The short-term increase is entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching unbalanced terrorist attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries.”

Trump also claimed that Iran’s leadership structure had fundamentally changed due to the attacks, said that senior figures had died, and warned that new attacks could occur if Tehran did not reach an agreement with the United States.

“We never said regime change, but There was a regime change due to the death of all their original leaders. “They’re all dead,” Trump said. “If there’s no deal, we’re going to hit every single power generation facility very hard, and probably at the same time.”

He also claimed that Iran’s air defenses had been eliminated. “They have no anti-aircraft equipment,” Trump said. “Their radar is 100% destroyed. We are unstoppable.”

CENTCOM shared images of attacks on aircraft during the Iran war (U.S. Central Command at X)

The mission, known as Operation Epic Rage, began more than a month ago, on February 28.

Since then, U.S. forces have struck more than 12,000 targets in Iran and damaged or destroyed 155 navy ships, according to Central Command. 13 US soldiers died and 350 people were injured during the operations.

Referring to the fallen soldiers, Trump said, “I traveled to Dover Air Force Base twice last month, and being with these heroes returning to American soil was something I wanted to do. And I was with their families, their parents, their wives and their husbands. We salute them.”

“Now we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives. And every single one of the people, their loved ones, please sir, please get the job done, every single one of them said, and we’re going to finish the job, and we’re going to finish it very fast. We’re getting very close.”

Trump also called on US allies to take a more active role in securing global energy routes, arguing that countries dependent on Middle Eastern oil should be responsible for protecting the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping point.

Trump also called on US allies to take a more active role in the security of global energy routes, arguing that countries dependent on Middle Eastern oil should be responsible for protecting the Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters/Stringer/File Photo/File Photo)

Trump said, “Countries in the world that receive oil from the Strait of Hormuz should pay attention to this passage. They should value it. They should seize it and value it.” he said. “We will help, but they must take the lead in protecting the oil on which they are so desperately dependent.”

Trump suggested that some nations had failed to support US military efforts against Iran and called on them to step up both militarily and economically.

“So we had to do it ourselves for countries that couldn’t get fuel, many of which refused to participate in the decapitation of Iran,” he said. “Go to the Bosphorus and take it. Protect it. Use it for yourself.”

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

He added that he predicted that once the conflicts ended, global energy flows would stabilize, the waterway would reopen and markets would recover.

“When this conflict ends, the strait will naturally open,” Trump said. “The flow will continue and gas prices will rebound quickly.”