Trump says Iran operation was US' 'last best chance' to eliminate 'intolerable' threats; aimed to thwart missile, nuclear capabilities

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that operations against Iran are likely to last four to five weeks, but the United States is prepared “to go far longer than that" and said the operation represented the “last best chance” to eliminate what he called “intolerable threats” from the Iranian regime.

Speaking at a White House ceremony, Trump said the campaign was meeting its objectives ahead of schedule. “We’re already substantially ahead of our time projections,” he said. “From the beginning we projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that. We’ll do it.”




Trump outlined the United States’ goals in targeting Iran. He said the first objective was to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, followed by the annihilation of its naval forces, claiming that ten Iranian ships had already been sunk. He added that the campaign aims to ensure Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon and to stop the regime from arming, funding, and directing terrorist armies outside its borders.

Donald Trump described Iran as an “intolerable threat” to the American people and said the regime’s conventional ballistic missile programme had posed a “colossal threat” to US forces overseas. He said the purpose of the programme was to shield Iran’s nuclear development and make it difficult for anyone to stop Tehran from creating prohibited nuclear weapons.

The US President framed the military action as a response to decades of attacks against the United States. He referenced the killing of General Soleimani, describing him as “the father of the roadside bomb".

The President’s address came during a White House ceremony in which he recognised three US Army soldiers with the Medal of Honor, two of which were awarded posthumously.

(With inputs from agencies)