Washington DC [US], March 5: President Donald Trump has said that the United States is doing "very well" in the ongoing 'Operation Epic Fury' against Iran, rating the war efforts against Tehran as 15 on a scale of 10.
Trump's comments came amid escalating tensions following the February 28 US and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, along with other key figures.
He asserted that American forces had performed beyond expectations in the opening days of the conflict.
Remarks at White House roundtable
Speaking during a roundtable at the White House on Wednesday (local time), Trump said, "We're doing very well on the war front, to put it mildly. I would say -- somebody said on a scale of 10, where would you rate it? I said about a 15."
The President asserted that Washington was in a "very strong position" in the conflict with Iran. He declared that US operations had significantly weakened Iran's military capabilities.
"We're going to continue to do well. We have the greatest military in the world by far and that was a tremendous threat to us for many years. Forty-seven years they've been killing our people and killing people all over the world and we have great support," he said.
Criticism of 2015 Iran nuclear deal
Trump reiterated his long-standing criticism of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal done during Barack Obama, which he labelled "one of the worst deals ever made", and said terminating it during his previous term prevented Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
"I think if we didn't do it first, they would have done it to Israel and give us a shot if that was possible. If we didn't terminate one of the worst deals ever made, the Obama nuclear deal - I call it the Obama nuclear deal - where he gave everything to Iran, including a nuclear weapon - it was a road to a nuclear weapon - bad things would have happened four years ago. 'Cos they would have had a weapon four years ago if I didn't terminate that deal," he added.
Claims of weakening Iran's leadership
"So, we're in a very strong position now and their (Iran's) leadership is just rapidly going. Everybody who seems to want to be a leader ends up dead. It's an amazing thing that's taking place before your eyes because for 47 years we were pushed around and we shouldn't have been," he further added.
Arguing that pre-emptive action was necessary, Trump stated, "I think if we didn't do it first, they would have done it to Israel and give us a shot if that was possible." He claimed that recent operations had rapidly degraded Iran's military capabilities.
"Their [Iran's] missiles are being wiped out rapidly. Their launchers are being wiped out. They're attacking their neighbours, they're attacking - in some cases, their allies, or not so long ago allies," he added.
Reference to earlier US operations
Trump also pointed to the impact of past actions, pointing to the killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and what he described as "complete obliteration of their nuclear potential" by US B-2 bombers, saying, "When crazy people have nuclear weapons, bad things happen."
"We're in a very strong position now and their leadership is just rapidly going. Everybody who seems to want to be a leader ends up dead," Trump added.
Comments on Venezuela relations
Turning to Venezuela, Trump described relations with the government and representatives there as "really great," and said Washington was "taking out hundreds of millions of barrels of oil" for mutual benefit, asserting that Venezuelans would "be doing better than they've ever done before."
"Venezuela worked out really great. We have a wonderful relationship with the president and the various representatives and we're taking out hundreds of millions of barrels of oil and that goes to our benefit and to Venezuela's benefit. They'll be doing better than they've ever done before and we will get a big piece of that and we'll also make life wonderful for the people of Venezuela who have been very, very badly hit," he added.
US military strength highlighted
Trump credited the rebuilding of the US military during his first term for enabling current operations and said, "We're using it a little bit more than I thought we would have to."
Conflict intensifies in Middle East
The President's remarks come as the US-Israel-led conflict with Iran has drawn widespread global tension.
The US and Israel, in coordinated airstrikes across multiple Iranian cities on February 28, targeted military command centres, air-defence systems, missile sites, and key regime infrastructure.
These strikes resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and four senior military and security officials, with large explosions reported in Tehran and other major cities.
Iran launches retaliatory strikes
In response, Iran also retaliated by launching ballistic missiles and drones at US assets and allies across the region, including Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan, further widening the conflict in the Middle East and heightening risks for civilians and expatriates alike.
(Disclaimer: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
