President Trump said in a new video address posted on Truth Social that “hundreds” of targets have been hit in Operation Epic Fury and he offered a justification for the operation. The president, who spoke at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, also acknowledged the deaths of three U.S. service members and warned that more would likely die.Â
In the six-minute video update, Mr. Trump said the operation has “hit hundreds of targets in Iran, including Revolutionary Guard facilities,” nine ships and Iran’s air defense systems.Â
He said the Ayatollah Khamenei, who was killed in the strikes, “had the blood of hundreds, and even thousands, of Americans on his hands and was responsible for the slaughter of countless thousands of innocent people all across many countries.” The president said “the entire military command is gone, as well.”
The president praised the three U.S. service members who were killed in action and said that there would likely be more military casualties.Â
“As one nation, we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives,” Mr. Trump said. “We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen, and sadly, there will likely be more.”
Mr. Trump said combat operations are continuing “in full force” and will continue “until all of our objectives are achieved.” In a separate interview, he told the Daily Mail that he expected the operation to last about four weeks.
He argued that Iran, “armed with long range missiles and nuclear weapons, would be a dire threat to every American,” and the U.S. could not allow a regime “that raises terrorist armies to possess such weapons that would allow them to extort the world.”
The military operation, he said, is “necessary to ensure that Americans will never have to face a radical, bloodthirsty terrorist regime armed with nuclear weapons and lots of threats.”
