In a recent statement, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a series of assertive remarks concerning Iran, declaring, "The war is moving very fast. We've dismantled their military capabilities, and we're hitting them with great force. We had a deal yesterday, or the day before, which was fully agreed upon. However, they backed out immediately after finding a clause they disliked. They think differently than us, and we won't accept it."
Trump continued, "We are proceeding forward. We will strike them tonight and eliminate all their capabilities related to the Strait of Hormuz. Ultimately, I believe we will have full control. Their actions are foolish and stupid. They have treated people terribly, killing 52,000 protesters so far, and the number, as we can ascertain, might be even higher."
Regarding reports of Iranian drones in Cuba, Trump stated, "If they indeed possess these drones, which is quite possible, we'll handle it. Marco Rubio is currently in the next room, and if they have those drones, we'll address it very quickly. We won't have any issues and won't allow it to happen. They might be storing some there, and we're investigating it as we speak. It might be true, or it might not."
Commenting on the possibility of negotiating a settlement with Iran, and whether a negotiated settlement is impossible, Trump said, "No, I never reach that conclusion. However, we will hit them hard tonight, as you know. We have a tremendous amount of ammunition, and in quantities not available for years, and we're hitting them with severe force. This will continue, and we'll see what happens. We're eliminating all their offensive capabilities and controlling the strait. We're also re-imposing the blockade. This blockade is not against everyone, only Iran. Meaning, any entity engaging in trade with Iran won't be able to pass, while others will. It's a very strong blockade, potentially more effective than striking them, but I believe combining the blockade and strikes achieves results."
When asked about the ongoing U.S. bombing of Iran, Trump replied, "We were in Vietnam for 19 years, and we’ve been here for only four months. So, I think we've accomplished a lot. We eliminated their navy in one month. We took down their air force; their airforce is no longer existent. We decimated most of their missiles and most of their drones. We've destroyed about 92 percent of their drone capacity and 89 percent of their missile capabilities. They still have some capabilities, but none they can use against us. What's happening now is almost just a military skirmish."
He added, "But, even with all this, there should be people who want to reach something. We had a deal with them two days ago, then they said, 'We can't accept this deal, we need to negotiate more.' And that’s what they’ve been doing for 47 years. But the difference is, no one negotiated with them in the way that I do. This issue should have been resolved during the terms of Bush, Obama, Biden, and their predecessors. For 47 years, they have deceived everyone, harmed people, and killed thousands. They have killed 52,000 protesters, as well as many under Soleimani, whom I eliminated during my first term. Soleimani killed many, and the damage wasn’t only death. When you see a young former soldier without legs or arms, or with a badly injured face, Iran did that, and Soleimani did that. He was a very evil person, a malevolent mastermind. He planned to hit a large number of our military installations in Iraq and Iran, but I got rid of him before he could hit us. So, we have to do what we're doing. The strait is open and will remain open. We have substantially reduced their capabilities, but they will continue to fight for some time."
Regarding the Iranian nuclear program, Trump stated, "The bottom line I tell everyone, and I'll repeat as much as they want to listen, is that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. Had we not bombed them with B-2 bombers, those planes over there, they would have had a nuclear weapon long ago. Within one month from the day we bombed them, they would have been able to acquire a nuclear weapon. And if we hadn't done that, they would have obtained the weapon. If they had a nuclear weapon, Israel wouldn't be with us, and the Middle East as we know it might not exist. You've seen them launch missiles at five countries that didn’t even know they were involved, because they're completely insane. They're insane, and we won’t accept that."
On the subject of demanding regional countries pay for American protection, Trump remarked, "I want us to get compensated because we're protecting a very rich region of the world, and we're spending money. So we've decided to get compensation from the countries we're providing protection to. Take, for example, five countries: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and there are other countries like Kuwait. And they will be doing very well. But we think it's appropriate for them to pay because we don't need their oil. We have more oil than any other country in the world. And when you add Venezuela, which has massive oil quantities we control, to our other resources, we have more than 50 percent of the global supply. We do not need the region's oil, but we need to protect our allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. We're protecting them all, and we've done an extremely effective job."
Regarding the scale of Iranian military losses, Trump stated, "Four months ago, these entities had a very strong military force, by far the strongest military force, and perhaps the strongest in the Middle East. They were known as the bully in the Middle East. Now, they don’t have a navy. They have 159 ships at the bottom of the sea. They had a total of 159 ships, and now, they've all gone under. They had 230 attack aircraft, and they’ve all vanished. They had a massive radar system, and it has all disappeared. They had strong anti-aircraft defenses, and they've all vanished. Regrettably, their leadership vanished as well. Their top leaders were killed, their secondary leaders were killed, and even some of their tertiary leaders, whom we deal with in one way or another, have been killed. Then you read in fake news, like your 'CNN network,' which is a fake news network, someone says, 'Aren’t they performing well?'"
He added, "Let me tell you: their inflation is now over 300 percent. Four months ago, inflation was five percent, and now it’s over 300 percent, maybe even 350 percent. They reached a deal and broke it perhaps ten times, killing a lot of people. They killed our people, but what they did to the protesters is the worst. They killed 52,000 protesters. Have you seen the burial sites where they bury the protesters? They killed 52,000 protesters, and during my presidency, they can't do any of that. We put them in a position where they no longer have any military strength. There is nothing they can do about it. All they have is fake news because fake news prefers to see us lose the war instead of winning it, which is a form of betrayal."
On the new strike and returning to negotiations, Trump commented, "We’re carrying out another very significant strike tonight. They want to reach an agreement. They've come back to us. We reached a deal two days ago, and they want the deal. They’ve been negotiating for 47 years, but no one has hit them militarily before. We’re now striking them with great intensity."