US President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States is delivering heavy strikes against Iran as part of the military operation he announced earlier, stressing that the “major wave” of attacks has not yet occurred.
In an interview with CNN, Trump said, “We are hitting them hard. I think things are going well. These strikes are very strong. We have the strongest military in the world, and we are using it.” The President reiterated that he does not want prolonged combat, adding, “I don’t want it to last long. I always thought it would last four weeks. We are slightly ahead of schedule.”
When asked whether the US is doing more than military strikes to support Iranian people’s influence on governance, Trump replied, “Yes. That’s correct. But right now, we want everyone to stay at home. It’s not safe outside.” He emphasized, “We haven’t even hit them hard yet. The major wave hasn’t happened. The big wave is coming soon.”
Trump said the “biggest surprise so far” was Iran striking countries in the Gulf region, noting, “We were surprised.” Regarding potential leadership in Iran after the death of numerous top officials, he said, “We don’t know who the leadership is. We don’t know who they will choose.
Maybe they are lucky and pick someone who knows what they’re doing.” He added that Iran had lost “a lot in terms of leadership” in the initial strikes, repeating that 49 officials were killed, calling it “an incredible strike.” Trump explained that the Iranians had gathered in one location, thinking they could not be targeted, but “they were shocked.” He said he believes Iranians “do not know who is leading them now,” reiterating the 49 leadership deaths.
Trump reiterated that his negotiation team tried to reach an agreement with Iran in the last three rounds, saying, “We could not reach a deal with them.” He noted that Iran was unwilling to meet US demands, including ending uranium enrichment. He concluded that due to the collapse of US-Iran negotiations, the ongoing military operation “is the way” to deal with Iran, adding, “We don’t have to worry about deals.” – KUNA
