Iran’s army, navy and air force largely destroyed by US, Trump says

President Donald Trump said on Friday at the White House that the United States is performing “very well” in operations against Iran, adding the Iranian military has been largely destroyed and praising the US armed forces’ performance.

“There’s a lot we’re doing — by the way, in Iran, we’re doing very well. Somebody asked how I would score it from zero to 10. I said, I’d give it a 12 to a 15,” Trump said.

“Their army is gone. Their navy is gone. Their communications are gone. Their leaders are gone. Two sets of their leaders are gone — they’re down to their third set. Their Air Force is wiped out entirely. Think of it. They have 32 ships. All 32 are at the bottom of the ocean. Other than that, they’re doing very well. Coach, very well,” he added.

Trump said the operations targeted a “very bad and very sick group of leaders who were killing a lot of people” and recounted the dangers faced by American personnel, including injuries from roadside bombs.

“We had a choice: we could accept that and go on like that for years, or we could do something about it — and we did. People are very impressed with our military,” Trump said, referencing past operations in Venezuela and the recent use of B‑2 bombers to strike Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

“I think we’re a country that’s more respected than we’ve ever been respected before,” he said.