President Donald Trump said Saturday that joint military operations by the United States and Israel have devastated the military capabilities of Iran, claiming the country’s navy, air force, and much of its missile arsenal have been destroyed in just one week of fighting.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the scale of the offensive has exceeded expectations and left Iran’s armed forces severely weakened.
“We’ve wiped out their navy — 44 ships. We’ve wiped out their air force — every plane,” Trump said. “We’ve wiped out most of their missiles. You see their missiles aren’t coming much anymore.”
The president also said strikes targeted missile manufacturing facilities and significantly reduced Iran’s drone capabilities.
Trump reiterated that he is seeking an “unconditional surrender” from Iran, describing it as the point where the country either gives up or can no longer continue fighting.
“They cry uncle, or when they can’t fight any longer,” he said. “Or there’s nobody around to cry uncle to because we’ve wiped out their leadership numerous times already.”
According to Trump, multiple layers of Iran’s leadership structure have already been eliminated during the conflict, leaving lesser-known figures in charge.
The president also argued the war has been decades in the making, saying previous administrations had avoided confronting Iran’s leadership directly.
“When this ends, we’re going to have a much safer world,” Trump said, adding that the campaign would remove what he called a major threat to global security.
Despite concerns that the conflict could push up energy prices, Trump said he was not worried about the economic impact.
“They’ll come down very fast,” he said, suggesting that removing Iran’s leadership would stabilize the region and global markets.
Trump also addressed questions about Iran’s nuclear facilities, which have been targeted in the campaign. He described the strikes as causing “total obliteration,” though he said it remains unclear whether ground forces might eventually be sent to secure enriched uranium stored at the sites.
For now, the president said the focus remains on weakening Iran’s remaining military capacity.
Trump concluded by characterizing the conflict as a relatively small military operation that would ultimately lead to greater global security once it ends.
