In a recent interview, U.S. President Donald Trump asserted that Iran has suffered a significant military defeat. However, he clarified that he has never claimed that hostilities have concluded.
When asked whether the conflict with Iran has ended, paused, or remains active, Trump responded, “Militarily, they are defeated. In their own minds, perhaps they don’t realize it. But I think they do, because I deal with them.” This statement reflects Trump’s ongoing engagement with Iranian leadership.
Trump reiterated that Iran no longer possesses a navy, air force, air defense systems, radars, or effective leadership. He suggested that if the U.S. were to withdraw its forces immediately, it would take Iran approximately two decades to recover its military capabilities.
In response to a follow-up question regarding the status of combat operations, Trump denied stating that they had ended, emphasizing that the U.S. still has potential targets in Iran. He remarked, “No, I didn’t say that. I said they are defeated, but that doesn’t mean it’s over. We could continue operations for another two weeks and destroy every target. We had certain objectives we wanted to hit, and we probably achieved about 70% of them. But there are others we could potentially strike.”
Additionally, Trump mentioned that U.S. space forces are monitoring Iran’s nuclear facilities and indicated that Washington plans to address Iran’s enriched uranium at some point in the future.
President Trump has declared Iran's military defeat while clarifying that U.S. operations in the region are ongoing. He emphasized the significant reduction of Iran's military capabilities and the potential for further U.S. actions.