Trump: ‘We Won Iran,’ Tehran Wants A Deal, And A Renewed Strike Could Be Bigger
In a phone interview, the president says Iran’s military and leaders were destroyed, that Gulf states prefer the current course to new strikes, and that he would be disappointed if Republicans vote to impeach Pete Hegseth
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - President Donald Trump said in a phone interview with C-SPAN’s Washington Journal on Monday night that the United States won the war against Iran, destroyed its military capabilities and targeted its leaders, and that Iran now wants a deal with Washington. “We won Venezuela, and we won Iran,” he said, adding that the US destroyed Iran’s navy, air force and air defenses. Iran has not publicly said it wants a deal on those terms, and Trump said Tehran presents a different narrative to the public.
Trump said the US kept acting against Iran so that it cannot rebuild its nuclear program in the next two years, and that Washington is watching Iran’s nuclear sites and cannot allow Tehran to have a nuclear weapon because it would use it. Asked about Pickaxe Mountain, the underground site, he said the US may have to strike it if Iran does something there, but does not see that now. He said a renewed attack could be five times larger than previous strikes, and that the US can end the war quickly or in a short time, depending on developments.
He said he spoke with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait about how to counter Iran, and that the Gulf states, which Iran attacked, prefer to continue the current approach over a new military attack. Asked about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump said he would be disappointed if Republican lawmakers vote to impeach him, and said Hegseth “should be praised, not impeached.”
The interview follows Trump’s 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, in which he said the war was won and that a deal would have been reached within days of the election had it not been for the vote, and that voters “didn’t like the war” or the rise in gas prices. Republican Rep.
Thomas Massie reintroduced an impeachment resolution against Hegseth with eight articles on Monday, which forces the House to take it up within two legislative days, according to Time. The charges include violating the War Powers Resolution by not seeking congressional approval for the war, and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said he would vote yes.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the effort unfair. US forces struck Qeshm Island on November 2, and Iran’s military says a tanker hit a mine in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi visited Tehran on Friday in an effort to mediate.