Washington: President Donald Trump warned Iran Thursday that U.S. forces could reduce the country to a "Stone Age" state within weeks if no deal is reached, claiming its military stands "decimated" after a month of intense strikes.
In a televised address Wednesday (local time), Trump marked one month since "Operation Epic Fury" began targeting Iran, the world's top state sponsor of terror. He touted swift gains: "Tonight, Iran’s Navy is gone. Their Air Force is in ruins. Their leaders… are now dead."
Trump said U.S. strikes had "dramatically curtailed" Iran's missile and drone programs, obliterated weapons facilities, and destroyed nuclear sites under "Operation Midnight Hammer." He vowed never to let Iran acquire nuclear weapons, labeling the regime "the most violent and thuggish regime on Earth."
Core U.S. goals—dismantling Iran's military and regional power projection—neared completion, he added. Without a deal, escalation looms: "Over the next two to three weeks, we’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages," including strikes on electric infrastructure.
Trump noted regime change wasn't the aim but had occurred due to leaders' deaths. He blamed Iran for spiking global oil prices via "deranged terror attacks" on tankers, urging oil-dependent nations to secure routes and diversify away from the Middle East.
Praising allies like Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain as "great" partners, Trump highlighted U.S. energy dominance as the world's top oil and gas producer. He mourned 13 lost American service members, whose families urged him to "finish the job."
This campaign has neutralized a major threat in just over a month, Trump remarked. "We are on the cusp of ending Iran’s sinister threat to America and the world."
(Inputs from IANS)