Trump Says US Could Strike Additional Targets Inside Iran
The US president said Iran has been “militarily defeated” but warned Washington still has additional targets it could attack.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Washington could continue military operations against Iran for another two weeks and still strike additional targets, stressing that he had never declared the conflict over despite describing Tehran as “militarily defeated.”
In a televised interview with The National Desk, Trump said Iran’s military infrastructure had been severely degraded, claiming the country no longer possessed effective naval, air force, anti-aircraft, or radar capabilities.
“They are militarily defeated,” Trump said. “But that doesn’t mean they’re done.”
The US president added that Washington had completed “probably 70 percent” of its intended military objectives but still retained the option of targeting additional sites inside Iran.
“We could go in for two more weeks and do every single target,” he said. “We have other targets that we could conceivably hit.”
Trump argued that even if the United States halted military operations immediately, Iran would require decades to restore its military capabilities.
“If we left today, it would take them 20 years to rebuild,” he said.
The president also claimed the United States was closely monitoring Iran’s nuclear infrastructure through advanced surveillance systems linked to the US Space Force.
“If anybody got near the place, we will know about it and we’ll blow them up,” Trump stated while discussing enriched uranium and Iranian nuclear facilities.
Throughout the interview, Trump repeatedly insisted that Iran could never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, accusing Tehran of repeatedly violating agreements and describing Iranian leaders as unpredictable.
Trump defended his previous decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal during his first presidential term, arguing that Tehran would otherwise already possess nuclear weapons.
He also referenced the killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, describing the operation as strategically significant.
The US president further pointed to previous B-2 bomber operations against what he described as Iranian nuclear sites, claiming the strikes had “obliterated” the facilities and delayed Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
“If we didn’t do that, they would have already blown up Israel, in my opinion,” Trump said.
Discussing regional energy security, Trump said the United States did not depend heavily on the Strait of Hormuz but had intervened to support regional allies including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
“We don’t need the Strait,” he said, while asserting that the United States now produces more oil and gas than Russia and Saudi Arabia combined.
Trump also criticized NATO, describing the alliance as a “paper tiger.”
Beyond Iran, Trump addressed several international issues during the interview, including relations with China, Cuba, and Venezuela.
He described his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping as “very good” and said he expected an upcoming visit to China to be “an amazing trip.”
On Cuba, Trump called the country “a failed country,” while saying Secretary of State Marco Rubio was engaged in communications related to Havana.
He also claimed Venezuela had become “a happy country” and praised increased oil production there.