DORAL, Fla.— President Donald J Trump declared Monday that Operation Epic Fury against Iran are nearing completion, touting the destruction of much of the Iranian naval fleet, missile capabilities and leadership as a historic success that has neutralized threats to the United States and its allies.
“On the very first day I came down the escalator in 2015, I said, ‘I will stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons,'” President Trump said. “And all I’m doing is keeping my promise.”
Speaking at a press conference in Doral, Florida, President Trump described the ten-day Operation Epic Fury as “very complete,” emphasizing rapid gains that have left Iran without a navy, air force or significant weaponry, while warning of further strikes if Tehran disrupts global oil supplies.
“We’ve wiped every single force in Iran out very completely,” Trump said. “Most of Iran’s naval power has been sunk. It’s on the bottom of the sea. It’s almost 50 ships. I was just notified it’s 51 ships.”
Trump credited advanced U.S. technology, including B-2 bombers and low-cost interceptors, for the swift progress, which he said exceeded initial timelines with a 90% decline in Iranian missile and an 83% drop in drone launches.
“Iran is a very powerful country. They were going to take over the Middle East. If we did not hit them, they were going to take over the Middle East….They had thousands and thousands of missiles and everything else. Most are now destroyed. But they were going to take over the Middle East. Those weapons were aimed at Middle Eastern countries that had nothing to do with this. They were going to take over the Middle East, and they were going to try and destroy Israel. So, we stopped it with good timing, and we’re very proud to be involved in this, and it’s going to be ended soon,” President Trump told reporters.
President Trump linked Operation Epic Fury to prior actions like Operation Midnight Hammer, which he claimed prevented Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons that could have targeted Israel or U.S. interests.
“If we didn’t knock out Midnight Hammer, if we didn’t knock out their Iranian potential, if we didn’t do that with Midnight Hammer, they would have had a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “They would have used it long before now. And at a minimum, Israel would have been annihilated.”
Trump then shared some details with his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine and the Middle East. He described the conversation as positive, with Putin expressing interest in being “very constructive” on regional issues, though Trump urged Putin to prioritize ending the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
“We had a very good call with President Putin,” Trump said. “We were talking about Ukraine, which is just a never-ending fight… But I think it was a positive call on that subject.”
President Trump also addressed Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, expressing disappointment in the choice and suggesting it could perpetuate instability.
“I was disappointed because we think it’s going to lead to just more of the same problem for the country,” Trump said of the ayatollah’s son.
Without specifying targets, Trump indicated a preference for internal Iranian figures to lead a transition, drawing parallels to Venezuela’s recent leadership change under a U.S.-backed administration led by President Delcy Rodríguez.
“We want to be involved,” he said, aiming for a regime that promotes peace after 47 years of what he called Iranian aggression. “They’ve been doing this for 47 years, killing people for 47 years.”
On energy security, President Trump vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, offering risk insurance and naval escorts for tankers if needed. He warned that any Iranian attempts to blockade the waterway would prompt devastating strikes on infrastructure like electricity production facilities.
“If they want to play that game, they better not play that game,” Trump told reporters. “We’ll take them out so quickly, they’ll never be able to recover, ever.”
Trump predicted lower oil prices for American families once the current conflict subsides.
“We’re also waiving certain oil-related sanctions to reduce prices,” he said. “We went artificially up because of this excursion into a very positive thing.”
Shifting to Cuba, Trump said negotiations led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio are progressing toward a potential “friendly takeover” of the communist nation, as it has weakened by lack of Venezuelan support.
“Marco Rubio is doing a great job,” Trump said. “I think he’s going to go down as the greatest Secretary of State in history.”
Trump reiterated his refusal to sign legislation until Congress passes the Save America Act, which includes voter ID requirements, citizenship verification and bans on mail-in ballots with exceptions. He added provisions against transgender surgeries for minors and men in women’s sports, claiming broad polling support.
“We don’t have a country, if we’re going to have elections, that are so corrupt and so dishonest,” Trump said.
On potential Iranian sleeper cells in the U.S., Trump told reporters that U.S. intelligence is monitoring threats, with many linked to border crossings during the Biden administration. He criticized the current “Democrat shutdown” for hindering efforts on monitoring Iranian sleeper cells in the U.S.
Author: Mario Lotmore
