Trump, the latest announcement about the war in Iran: “There is practically nothing left to attack”
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said on Wednesday, for the American publication Axios, that there is “virtually nothing left to attack” in Iran and that the war with the Islamic Republic will end “soon”, write Reuters and AFP.
“Small details (remain, no) … As soon as I want it to be over, it will be over,” the US president told Axios in a brief telephone interview shortly after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the joint Israeli-US offensive against Iran, which began on February 28, would continue “indefinitely”.
Even as Trump publicly signals that the military operation has largely achieved its goals, US and Israeli officials say there is no internal directive on when the fighting might stop.
Israeli and US officials say they are preparing for at least two more weeks of attacks in Iran.
On Tuesday, the US received information suggesting that Iran had begun placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz – one of the most important control points for the supply of oil to the world market, through which about 20% of global supplies pass.
Officials say it is unclear how many mines Iran has planted, but the number is estimated to be very small.
Trump confirmed to Axios that the US strikes on Tuesday destroyed 16 mine-laying vessels and disrupted Iran's plans.
CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said in a video message on Wednesday that the US military's mission is to eliminate Iran's ability to project power and harass shipping in the strait.
“US forces continue to exert devastating combat power against the Iranian regime. US combat power is increasing and Iran's is decreasing,” Cooper said, adding that Iranian missile and drone attacks have dropped sharply.
“The war is going very well. We're way ahead of schedule. We've done more damage than we thought possible, even for the originally estimated six-week period,” Trump told Axios.
The White House leader also claimed that Iran's hostility extends beyond Israel and the US to the Gulf states throughout the region.
“They were after the rest of the Middle East. They are paying for 47 years of death and destruction that they have caused. This is revenge. They will not get off that easily,” Trump said.
Israel's announcement
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that the military offensive launched jointly by the United States and Israel against Iran will continue “without a time limit” until all objectives are achieved, stressing that it has caused heavy losses to Iranian forces, reports AFP, dpa and EFE.
“This operation will continue indefinitely, as long as necessary, until we achieve all our objectives and decide the outcome of the campaign,” the minister said during a meeting with Israeli military officials, according to international news agencies, quoted by Agerpres.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in an Israeli attack in Tehran on the first day of the war.
“The surviving Iranian leadership is running like mice in tunnels, as is the Hamas leadership in Gaza,” Katz added.
He declared that Israeli-American bombing would continue to target “the strategic targets of this regime in Tehran and throughout Iran, day after day, target after target.”
