US President Donald Trump on Monday said recent American military operations had significantly weakened Iran, claiming that key elements of its missile, drone and leadership structure had been dismantled over the past two weeks.
"We have decimated them in two weeks. They have no navy, no air force, no anti-aircraft weapons, and no leadership. Their leadership is gone. Then they set up a new leadership and that too is gone," Trump said.
Trump also said US forces had struck Iran’s weapons systems and command structure during the operations.
"We have extinguished most of their missiles and drones... We have fully extinguished two layers of leadership and probably a third," Trump said.
Defending the strikes, the US President argued that the action was necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, which he said would pose a major threat to the Middle East and beyond.
"I want wars less than almost anybody... The leaders of Iran are violent and vicious people who killed 32,000 protesters over the last three weeks," Trump said.
Warning of the potential consequences, Trump said Iran would quickly deploy nuclear weapons if it ever obtained them.
"If you believe that Iran should have a nuclear weapon, there's something wrong with you because they would use it within one hour or one day. They will use it and they will blow up the entire Middle East, not just Israel."
He also repeated that stopping Iran’s nuclear ambitions was essential for global safety.
"If you give Iran a nuclear weapon, at least a very substantial part of the world would be blown up, and it'll be used almost immediately," he said.
Trump maintained that the US actions were not limited to American interests but were intended to benefit the international community.
"We did a job for the whole world... We took the worst country in 50 years and maybe longer from the ideological standpoint, a country that wanted to blow up the world, a country that is sick," he said.
Referring to global energy routes, Trump also mentioned the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of the world’s oil passes.
"We only have one thing to have a little choke point... and they (Iran) have used it very well for years, but it doesn't work. But I think this, if some of these countries that we've been good to for years, get 90 to 95 % of their energy from the Strait of Hormuz," he added.
The remarks come as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise amid ongoing military operations and growing concerns over regional stability and energy transit routes.
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