Trump hails 'decisive' blow against Iran in first address on war

US President Donald Trump has delivered his first major national address since the commencement of hostilities in late February, praising the American military for a "decisive" blow against the Iranian regime. The US President claimed that the core objective of the campaign was nearing completion.

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'Operation Epic Fury' Nearing Completion

Speaking from the White House, Trump provided an update on the month-long "Operation Epic Fury," which he said was launched against the "world's number one state sponsor of terror." He asserted that over "these past four weeks, our armed forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield."

Iranian Military Capabilities 'Dismantled'

The US President maintained that the adversary's maritime and aerial capabilities have been systematically dismantled. "Iran's navy is gone, their air force is in ruins, its leaders, most of them terrorists, are now dead," Trump declared, adding that the country's broader military infrastructure has been severely diminished.

Detailing the impact of the strikes, the President stated that the opposition's "ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed." He noted that "weapons factories and rocket launchers are being blown to pieces - very few of them left," and claimed that the United States is "winning bigger than ever before."

Confrontational Strategy Vindicated, Claims Trump

Trump argued that his confrontational strategy, including his previous decision to withdraw from the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal, prevented regional catastrophe. He claimed the earlier accord "would have led to a colossal arsenal of massive nuclear weapons for Iran," and asserted that without his intervention, "they would have had them years ago, and they would have used them." "It would have been a different world. There would have been no Middle East and no Israel right now," the President remarked.

Current Tactical Situation and Mission Goals

Outlining the current tactical situation, Trump stated that "taken together, these actions will cripple Iran militarily." He emphasized that the mission is designed to "crush their ability to support terrorist proxies and deny them the ability to build a nuclear bomb," adding that "our armed forces have been extraordinary."

Regarding the progress of the military campaign, the US President said, "Tonight, I am pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion."

US Threatens Further Strikes

The US President however said that the US would continue to hit Iran if they did not make a deal. " We will continue till our objectives are achieved. We are going to hit them hard over the next two-three weeks, we will take them to stone age. Regime change has occured, all their old leaders are gone the new group is less radical. We have our eyes on key targets if there is no deal we will hit their electric plants, we have so far not hit their oil but we could do that and they cant do anything, we are unstoppable," Trump said.

Trump's speech signals that the US campaign is coming to a definite end but more strikes are likely over the next few weeks.