On Saturday, President Trump asserted that any future attack on Iran would be “much bigger” unless the country agrees to peace immediately.
“Iran, a bully in the Middle East, must make peace, or else future strikes will be significantly larger and more straightforward,” Trump declared. This statement was made during a briefing alongside Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses.
“This situation cannot persist. It’s either peace or tragedy for Iran, and it outweighs what we’ve encountered in the past eight days,” he added.
The U.S. military executed what was described as a “massive precision strike” on Iran’s key nuclear sites, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, late Saturday evening.
“Tonight was possibly our toughest and deadliest operation, but if peace isn’t achieved soon, we will pursue other targets with precision, speed, and expertise,” Trump mentioned while discussing future possibilities of action.
“Our objective was to eliminate Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities and mitigate the nuclear threat from a nation known for sponsoring terrorism,” he stated.
The United States also expressed gratitude to Israeli leaders and their forces for collaborating with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cripple Iran’s nuclear supply line.
“We functioned as a cohesive team in ways we never have before. We’ve made significant progress in eliminating this grave threat to Israel, and we appreciate the Israeli military for their astonishing efforts,” Trump noted.
“Ideally, we won’t have to call on their capabilities again,” he remarked about the U.S. military’s role.
He emphasized that these historic strikes had been long in the making.
“For 40 years, Iran has chanted, ‘Death to America, Death to Israel.’ They’ve attacked our people and caused devastating injuries with roadside bombs,” Trump recounted. “We have lost more than a thousand lives in the Middle East and beyond, directly due to their animosity.”
The president had contemplated the military strike for several days before ultimately deciding to proceed.
He reportedly approved the operation on Thursday, following Iran’s refusal to negotiate while tensions escalated with Israel on Friday, according to sources close to the White House.
Trump announced that the Pentagon would hold a press conference at 8 a.m.
