Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office on Monday as US forces initiated a new wave of strikes against Iran, President Donald Trump stated that American operations have fundamentally destroyed Tehran's armed forces and secured vital shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.
Responding to inquiries regarding the duration and legal standing of the campaign, Trump described military progress as rapid and effective, dismissing comparisons to prolonged past conflicts.
"Well, I think it's going very fast. We've demolished their military. We're hitting them very hard. We had a deal yesterday, or the day before yesterday, it was all done. And then they broke up that deal immediately because they found out there was something in the deal they didn't like. And they're wired differently, and we're not going to put up with it. But we are just going forward," said Trump.
He continued, “We're attacking them tonight. We're taking out all of their capability for anything having to do with the Strait, with the Hormuz Strait. And I think, in the end, we will end up just controlling the whole thing. And what they're doing is being very foolish, very stupid. And they've treated people horribly. They've killed 52,000 protesters so far that we can determine. It might be more than that, but 52,000 protesters have been killed. And it's a really terrible situation. But we'll have it under control very quickly."
Addressing whether diplomatic avenues remain open despite the heavy bombardment, Trump maintained that a negotiated settlement remains possible while confirming that intense air operations would persist alongside a maritime blockade.
"No, I never reached that conclusion [that a deal is not possible], but we're hitting them very heavy tonight, as you know. We're hitting them. We have tremendous amounts of ammunition. We have numbers that we haven't had in years. And we're hitting them very hard, and it'll continue, and we'll see what happens," he said.
“But we're knocking out all of their offensive capability, and we're controlling the straits. We're putting the blockade back. And it's a blockade not for anybody but Iran. In other words, anybody doing business with Iran can't go through. Everyone else will be able to go through. So, it's a blockade. It's a very strong blockade. The blockade was probably more effective even than hitting them, but I think the combination is the thing that really does it."
Pressed further on whether a diplomatic breakthrough could materialize, Trump responded, "Yeah, I think a deal is possible, sure. I do."
Pushing back against suggestions that recurring air raids represent a permanent state of conflict for the American public, Trump contrasted the current four-month offensive with longer US military entanglements like Vietnam, emphasizing the sheer scale of damage inflicted on Iran's defense apparatus.
"Well, you know, we're in Vietnam for 19 years. We're here for four months. So, I think we've done a lot. We've knocked out their Navy in a period of one month. We knocked out their Air Force. Their Air Force is non-existent. We knocked out most of their missiles, most of their drones. We knocked out their drone manufacturing capability, about 92 percent. Their missile capability for manufacturing, we knocked out 89 percent. And they have a little capability, but they don't have any capability for us. This is almost a military skirmish."
“Now, with all of that being said, you have to get people that want to make something. We had a deal with them two days ago, and then they said, ‘oh, we can't make that deal. We have to negotiate it further.’ And this is what they've done for 47 years. The difference is nobody negotiated like I do. And this should have been done by Bush and Obama and Biden and people before them, frankly. It's 47 years. They've been ripping off everybody. And really hurting and killing thousands of people. So, they killed 52,000 protesters, but they killed many, many people with Soleimani, who I killed in the first term. Soleimani killed many people, many, many people. And not only killed, when you see a young former soldier walking around with no legs, no arms, a face that's been horribly, horribly hurt, that was done by Iran. That was done by Soleimani. He was a person that was very evil. He was an evil genius. He was looking to take out a lot of our military installations in Iraq and Iran. And I got him before he got us."
Trump reiterated, “So, we have to do what we're doing. And the strait is open. It will be open. We've cut down their capability very substantially. But they, you know, they're going to fight for a while. Our military has done a fantastic job. And, you know, the bottom line, though, and I say it to everybody, and I say it as much as they want to listen, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. If we didn't bomb them with the B-2 bombers, they would have had a nuclear weapon long ago. One month. Within one month from the day we bombed them, they would have had it. If we didn't do it, they would have had a nuclear weapon. If they had a nuclear weapon, Israel would no longer be with us. And the Middle East probably would no longer be with us."
He described the leaders of Iran as “stone cold crazy. They are crazy. And we're not going to put it up."
Trump’s comments came after the US Army announced a third wave of strikes on targets in Iran in as many days.
In a statement, US Central Command said, “At 4:45 p.m. ET today, US Central Command began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, at the Commander in Chief's direction."
“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," the statement stressed.
Iranian media reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas. Subsequent explosions were also heard on the islands of Qeshm and Kish.
Earlier on Monday, Trump announced that the US would reinstate the naval blockade on Iran, which was lifted after the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding recently.
"The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving," he wrote on social media.
“All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait. The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World. The process and formation will begin immediately," he added.
Responding to Trump’s announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media, "POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service."
"Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair," he concluded.