In his first live address since striking the Iranian regime, President Donald Trump said the campaign dubbed "Operation Epic Fury" could last four to five weeks but is "substantially ahead" of schedule. Its aim, Trump added, is to cripple Iran's missiles, navy, nuclear program, and terror proxies.
"This was our last best chance to strike … and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime," Trump said Monday during a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House. "And they are, indeed, sick and sinister."
Trump said he initially expected the campaign to last "four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that." At the same time, he said the campaign is "substantially ahead of our time projections." The strikes, according to Trump, are aimed at achieving four main objectives: the destruction of Iran's "missile capabilities," its navy, its nuclear program, and its "terrorist armies."
"First, we're destroying Iran's missile capabilities—and you see that happening on an hourly basis—and their capability to produce brand-new ones," Trump said. "Second, we're annihilating their navy. ... Third, we're ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund, and direct terrorist armies. ... And finally, we're ensuring that the world's number one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon."
The address marked Trump's first live comments since the United States and Israel launched their joint military campaign against the Islamic Republic with a round of strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—among dozens of other regime leaders—and destroyed government and military infrastructure across the country.
The strikes followed a breakdown in nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran. Trump said that an acceptable deal would mean "no nuclear weapons, no missiles," terms that Iran rejected.
"We thought we had a deal, but then they backed out," Trump said Monday. "I said, ‘You can’t deal with these people. You gotta do it the right way.’"
