US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) said that the military operation in Iran would end “very soon,” though he did not provide a specific timeline. Earlier, Trump had described the campaign as an “excursion,” saying the United States would eliminate the threat.
The US President made the remarks during a press conference in Florida. Responding to a reporter’s question about when the operation would conclude, Trump said, “Very soon. Look, everything they have is gone, including their leadership. In fact, two levels of leadership are gone—and actually more than that. Most people have never even heard about the leaders they’re talking about. So it’s obviously been very powerful and very effective.”
In his opening remarks before taking questions from the media, Trump said the operation was launched to prevent Iran from expanding its influence in the region.
“They were going to take over the Middle East and they were going to try to destroy Israel. So we stopped it with good timing, and we’re very proud to be involved in this. It’s going to end soon, and if it starts again, they’ll be hit even harder,” he said.
Trump also claimed that Iran’s military capabilities had been largely destroyed during the initial phase of Operation Epic Fury, calling it a major success.
“They have no Navy, Air Force or anti-aircraft equipment. It’s all been blown up. They have no radar, telecommunications or leadership. It’s all gone. We could call it a tremendous success right now, or we could go further—and we’re going to go further. But the biggest risk in that war has been over for three days. We wiped them out in the first two days. When you think about it, it’s incredible,” Trump said.
During the interaction with reporters, Trump was also asked about Mojtaba Khamenei, who has been named Iran’s new Supreme Leader. Expressing disappointment, Trump said, “I was disappointed because we think it’s going to lead to more of the same problems for the country. I was disappointed to see their choice.”
The 56-year-old cleric was appointed to the country’s highest office by the 88-member Assembly of Experts. The clerical body confirmed that he had been “appointed and introduced as the third leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran based on the decisive vote of the respected representatives of the Assembly of Experts.”
The leadership transition comes amid heightened regional tensions following a military campaign that led to the death of the former leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
