President Donald Trump on Wednesday offered a notably bullish assessment of U.S. military performance in the conflict with Iran, saying the effort rates "about a 15" on a scale of one to ten during remarks at a roundtable on ratepayer protection.
Trump told attendees the United States is "doing very well on the war front," and framed Iran as having been "a tremendous threat to us for many years." He went on to say Iranian leadership "is just rapidly going," adding that "everybody that seems to want to be a leader, they end up dead."
In defending his decision to end what he called "the Obama nuclear deal," the president asserted that the agreement would have paved a path for Iran to develop nuclear arms. He said that, had he not terminated that deal, Iran "would have had a weapon four years ago."
Trump referenced a B-2 bomber strike that he said took place "a number of months ago," calling it "a complete obliteration of their nuclear potential." He further claimed that, without that strike, Iran would have acquired a nuclear weapon within two weeks.
The president also pointed to the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani during his first term as an important factor influencing the present conflict. He credited the rebuilding of the U.S. military during his first administration with enabling current operations.
On operational details, Trump asserted that Iranian "missiles are being wiped out rapidly" along with their launchers. He characterized Iran as "attacking their neighbors" and said that in some instances those targets were "allies or not so long ago, allies."
Turning to another foreign relationship, the president commented on Venezuela. He said the United States has "a wonderful relationship with the president" there and described an arrangement in which the U.S. is "taking out hundreds of millions of barrels of oil," framing the outcome as beneficial to both countries.
Summary
At a ratepayer protection roundtable, President Trump rated U.S. military progress against Iran as "about a 15," defended his termination of the previous nuclear agreement, cited a past B-2 bomber strike and the killing of General Qasem Soleimani as pivotal, and said Iranian missiles and launchers are being destroyed. He also spoke positively about U.S.-Venezuela arrangements involving oil transfers.
Key points
- President Trump rated U.S. progress in the conflict with Iran "about a 15" on a scale of one to ten and said the U.S. is "doing very well on the war front."
- He defended ending "the Obama nuclear deal," saying it would have given Iran a path to a nuclear weapon and claimed Iran "would have had a weapon four years ago" without that action.
- Trump cited a B-2 bomber strike described as "a complete obliteration of their nuclear potential," the killing of General Qasem Soleimani, and the rebuilt U.S. military as factors enabling current operations.
Risks and uncertainties
- Ongoing military operations and strikes could influence regional stability and have implications for defense and energy markets.
- Claims about destroyed Iranian missile capabilities and nuclear potential are presented by the president; the scope and duration of these effects are not detailed in his remarks.
- U.S. involvement in oil arrangements with Venezuela introduces uncertainties for energy sector flows and geopolitical alignments.