U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to reporters on Wednesday regarding the recent military operation against Iran, just before boarding Marine One to Joint Base Andrews.
Trump claimed that the operation crippled Iran’s naval and air capabilities, stating that the U.S. sank 16 of Iran’s mine-laying vessels and that radars and leadership were neutralized. “No one has ever seen anything like this. We hit harder than any other country in history, and we are not finished,” he said.
He added that some targets were intentionally left untouched, explaining: “We are leaving some things that we could destroy by afternoon, in fact within an hour. They will never be able to rebuild this country.”
Trump also stated that he consulted with many world leaders, who reportedly told him that the U.S. has the best military the world has ever seen.
When asked about the deployment of naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump downplayed the risk, asserting: “We don’t believe anything like that happened,” while emphasizing that all Iranian mine-laying vessels were destroyed overnight. He further encouraged oil tankers to continue passing through the Strait safely, despite recent attacks on three vessels, for which Iran claimed responsibility for at least two.
Earlier reports from Reuters indicated that Iran had deployed around a dozen naval mines, though the majority of their locations are reportedly known. It remains unclear how the U.S. intends to address these mines.
Trump also criticized Spain, claiming that the country’s government is ineffective within NATO, although he praised its citizens. He reiterated a threat to potentially suspend trade with Spain if cooperation does not improve.
On the situation in Lebanon, Trump stated: “The people of Lebanon are very good, but we need to free the country from Hezbollah.”
