United States President Donald Trump disclosed on Monday that he had given the green light for military action against Iran, with the primary objective of dismantling the country's nuclear programme and curbing what he characterised as its rapidly growing ballistic missile capabilities. Trump maintained, without providing evidence, that the threat from Tehran had been immediate.
"This was our last best chance to strike ... and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime," he declared at an event held in the White House East Room. The president said operations were moving more swiftly than expected but refused to divulge operational details, noting his original projection for the campaign had been four to five weeks, though he conceded it might take longer.
Central to the rationale for the offensive, Trump explained, was the need to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon — an ambition Tehran has long denied harbouring — and to destroy its long-range ballistic missile programme. "An Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat to the Middle East, but also to the American people," he stated.
Trump further claimed that US forces had sunk 10 Iranian naval vessels, remarking "they're at the bottom of the sea," and expressed confidence in the campaign's trajectory. The broader war aims, he outlined, included the destruction of Iran's missile infrastructure and navy, as well as blocking the country's path to nuclear weapons.
A further objective, the president noted, aligned with a longstanding American policy goal: severing Iran's backing of armed groups active throughout the wider region. Trump confirmed four US military personnel had been killed in the conflict so far, adding: "In their memory, we continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat this terrorist regime poses to the American people."
