'15 on a scale of 10': Trump says US military 'doing well on war front' amid ongoing tensions with Iran

Donald Trump

• Trump says US military campaign in Iran is exceeding expectations
• US and Israel killed Iran's Khamenei, airstrikes to continue
• 1,000+ Iranians, 6 US troops killed since fighting started

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US President Donald Trump on Wednesday offered an emphatic assessment of the American military campaign against Iran, declaring that US forces were performing far beyond expectations as the conflict entered its fifth day.

Speaking at a White House roundtable on the Ratepayer Protection Pledge attended by technology executives, Trump said, “We’re doing well on the war front, to put it mildly. Somebody said on a scale of 10, where would you rate it? I said about a 15."

“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," he added.

Trump also said that Iran’s stockpile of ballistic missiles was being “wiped out rapidly" and defended the US decision to launch military action. “When crazy people have nuclear weapons, bad things happen," he said, arguing that Tehran had been moving toward acquiring such weapons.

The president pledged that the joint air offensive with Israel, which killed Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on its first day, would continue.

While Trump projected confidence, the human toll of the war has mounted. The US based Human Rights Activists News Agency said it had compiled reports of 1,097 civilian deaths and more than 5,000 injuries since hostilities began early Saturday morning. The United States Central Command said Monday that six American service members have been killed since the start of the fighting.

Despite the forceful rhetoric, the administration has not clearly outlined its ultimate objectives in Iran. The White House said Wednesday that Iran’s clerical leadership was being “absolutely crushed" and was “paying in blood."

However, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stopped short of confirming whether regime change was the administration’s goal. She said Trump is “actively considering" a US role in Iran after the current American-Israeli operation concludes.

“I think it’s something the president is actively considering and discussing with his advisors and his national security team," Leavitt told reporters at a briefing, while confirming that Trump had spoken to Kurdish leaders.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was weighing support for Kurdish groups as part of Washington’s broader strategy in the conflict.