President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
President Donald Trump, while defending the United States’ ongoing military campaign against Iran, said that the conflict has extended into its seventh month.
He said he deliberately chose to go beyond his initial operational timeline because he didn’t want Iran to “come back in some different form.”
He further said in an extensive interview with Time magazine this week that it’s “possible” that the administration is considering increasing military strikes on Iran following the midterms, while noting that the United States has been actively replenishing its military stockpiles.
“We have a lot of weapons. You know, we’ve been stocking up for the last six months,” he said.
Trump also defended his recent remarks about how he could “annihilate” Iran.
“By annihilating Iran, we’ve created peace in the world,” he said. “With Iran, I don’t think you could ever have peace,” he said.
Addressing the timeline of the conflict, Trump asserted that U.S. forces have thoroughly dismantled Iran’s strategic assets.
“I’m in there now for six months, and I’ve destroyed their nuclear capability,” he said. “I’ve destroyed their navy; 159 ships are at the bottom of the sea. I’ve destroyed their air force. All their planes are gone. I’ve destroyed their radar,” he said.
Trump also maintained that the U.S. military has secured the Strait of Hormuz, pointing out that oil transit through the waterway recently reached record levels.
Tehran has threatened to close the strait, but Trump said that was “always a threat they had and it worked for a little while.”
But, he added, “we basically closed it on them. You know, they said we’re going to close. I said, ‘Well, you close it, you’re going to have big trouble.’ We took it over.”
Trump also leveled accusations against the Iranian government regarding internal dissent, claiming that authorities “killed 75,000 people in the last number of months… It’s unbelievable. It’s a bloodbath.”
Addressing diplomatic developments, Trump confirmed that he recently rejected a ceasefire proposal put forward by Iran.
When asked why, he stated, “Because things that I wouldn’t have approved a year ago I wouldn’t have today.”
Elaborating on the terms, Trump added, “They made an offer to open up the Strait. You know, you saw some aspects of it, not all. But it’s just, it’s just, it’s not good enough. Nearly.”
Turning to the broader region and Israel, Trump discussed the current security situation and the status of Hamas following last year’s ceasefire agreement.
On Hamas remaining armed, Trump said, “I think I’ll probably sit in the Situation Room and make an appropriate decision. My decisions are correct ones.”
He also expressed skepticism about reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was warned prior to the Oct. 7 attacks.
“I heard that today for the first time,” Trump said, adding, “I don’t think so. I think, you know, I think if he would have known, he would have done something about it. Certainly, he would have had people at least alert.”
Addressing U.S. support for the country, Trump emphasized the critical role of American backing.
“Israel wouldn’t have been able to defend itself against that power if the United States wasn’t,” Trump said, reiterating that “Iran cannot have a nuclear power because they are crazy and you can’t let crazy people have nuclear weapons.”
On the political future of Netanyahu and potential opposition candidates like Gadi Eisenkot, Trump declined to write off the incumbent leader.
“Well, people have written off Bibi many, many times, just like they’ve written off me many, many times. I wouldn’t underestimate Bibi,” Trump said.
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