Donald Trump says US ahead of schedule in campaign against Iran

Donald Trump. Pic/AFP

President Donald Trump has said that the United States will continue its military operation against Iran to "eliminate the regime's missile capabilities", nuclear ambitions, and support for terrorism.

Trump's remarks come amid escalating tensions following the US and Israeli coordinated airstrikes across multiple Iranian cities on February 28, targeting 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.

"For almost 47 years, this (Iranian) regime has been attacking the United States and killing Americans. General Soleimani, who was the father of the roadside bomb. I terminated him in my first term. This was our last best chance to strike what we're doing right now and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime," he said.

Trump reiterated that the US is ahead of its initial projections and vowed to continue its mission with determination until Iran's growing threats are eliminated.

"First, we're destroying Iran's missile capabilities... Second, we're annihilating their Navy. We've knocked out already 10 ships. They're at the bottom of the sea. Third, we're ensuring that the world's number one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon," he said.

He further added, "And finally, we're ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund, and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders."

Further, Trump warned that Iran's regime already possessed missiles capable of striking Europe and US bases overseas, and was nearing the capability to target the United States.

"The purpose of this fast-growing missile program was to shield their nuclear weapon development and make it extraordinarily difficult for anyone to stop them from making these highly forbidden nuclear weapons," he explained.

Trump emphasised that allowing Iran to possess long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would "pose a catastrophic threat" to both the Middle East and the United States.

He added, "We thought we had a deal, but then they (Iran) backed out. Then they came back, and we thought we had a deal, and they backed out. I said, you can't deal with these people. You've got to do it the right way."

In a tribute to the four American service members recently killed in action, Trump vowed to continue the mission with unwavering determination. "In their memory, we continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat this terrorist regime poses to the American people."

He reiterated the superiority of the US military, stating, "We have the strongest and most powerful by far military in the world, and we will easily prevail."

Trump stated that the US was far ahead of initial expectations, saying, "Right from the beginning, we projected four to five weeks, but we have the capability to go far longer than that."

"Somebody said today, the President wants to do it really quickly and after that, he'll get bored. I don't get bored. There's nothing boring about this," he added.

Trump also said that the mission to eliminate Iran's military leadership was completed far ahead of schedule: "We also projected four weeks to terminate the military leadership, and as you know, that was done in about an hour, so we're ahead of schedule there by a lot."

On February 28, the US and Israeli in coordinated airstrikes across multiple Iranian cities, targeting 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.

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.

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