US President Donald Trump has claimed the United States could hit “every single target” in Iran within two weeks, describing the Islamic Republic as “militarily defeated” amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with independent journalist Sharyl Attkisson aired on Sunday and recorded last week.
Speaking on the conflict involving Iran, Trump said the US military had already completed a significant portion of its objectives.
“They’re militarily defeated. In their own minds, maybe they don’t know that. But I think they do,” Trump said.
He added that the United States could intensify its operations if necessary, claiming American forces had already achieved about 70 percent of planned targets.
“We could go in for two more weeks and do every single target. We have certain targets that we wanted, and we’ve done probably 70 percent of them,” he stated.
Trump, however, suggested that additional military action might only amount to “final touches,” implying that the campaign had already significantly weakened Iran’s military capabilities.
The comments come amid reports that Iran has responded to the latest US proposal aimed at ending the conflict that reportedly began on February 28 following US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets.
The former president also criticised NATO, describing the alliance as a “paper tiger” and accusing allied nations of failing to provide meaningful support during the confrontation with Tehran.
“NATO has proven to be a paper tiger. They weren’t there to help,” Trump said.
The remarks are likely to further heighten tensions surrounding US-Iran relations and may draw reactions from both NATO allies and Middle Eastern governments as diplomatic efforts continue to ease the crisis.
