WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said the United States has destroyed much of Iran’s military capability, including its navy, air force, senior military leadership, and air defense systems, and claimed Tehran is now seeking a deal with Washington.
Speaking at an event in the US state of Michigan, Trump said American forces also destroyed most of Iran’s drone and missile production capability.
“Iran is now producing drones at only about 7% of its previous capacity,” Trump said.
He argued that Iran would not have returned to negotiations without US military action.
“If we had not acted forcefully, there would have been no talks,” he said.
Trump described Iran as the “bully of the Middle East” for the past 47 to 50 years. He criticised former President Barack Obama, saying Obama believed Iran could be persuaded through concessions.
“You cannot buy Iran. You have to defeat it, and we are defeating it badly,” Trump said.
He added that negotiations with Iran were progressing positively.
“We’ll see what happens. Right now, we are having very pleasant talks with Iran,” he said.
Trump also referred to the US naval blockade, claiming it was so effective that “not a single boat can get through.” He said Iran was urging Washington to lift the blockade.
“Iran is saying, ‘Please lift the naval blockade,'” he said.
Earlier, Trump warned that the United States was prepared to launch a powerful military operation against Iran if diplomacy failed.
“I won’t give diplomacy much time. It has to move quickly, or not happen at all,” he said.
Trump added that US officials remained engaged in talks with Iran and expressed optimism that the negotiations could produce an agreement.
The statements could not be independently verified, and Iranian authorities have not immediately responded to Trump’s latest remarks.
