U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated several of his claims regarding the conflict involving Iran, warning about the risks he says would arise if the country were to acquire nuclear weapons, while also commenting on recent developments on the ground.
“You cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” he said. “That’s all I can say.”
“We cannot, because they would use it very quickly against a country called Israel, and they would use it in the Middle East, they would use it in Europe, and I think we would be next — and that is not going to happen. Don’t worry about that.”
Iran has consistently denied that its nuclear program and uranium enrichment efforts are intended for military purposes.
Trump also claimed that Iran’s air force is now “nonexistent,” telling a crowd in Florida: “Their navy — they had a very strong navy; they had the strongest fleet in the Middle East.
“Much stronger. They had 159 ships. Every single ship is now at the bottom of the sea.”
He further stated that the United States and Israel have destroyed “85%” of Iran’s missile capacity.
However, he later suggested that the conflict could continue, saying that “with war, you never know what happens.”
“Look at Russia,” he added. “It was supposed to be a one-day war, and it’s been four years, right?
“And you see that, and it’s truly a terrible war and many people have died…
“It’s like a slaughterhouse there, and I think we’ll get this one too. We’ve solved eight wars, and this should be the ninth.
“I think we’ll finish it, but it’s difficult. It’s difficult.”
