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US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on August 15, 2025. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US President Donald Trump on Monday described the joint US-Israel military campaign against Iran, launched in late February, as “very complete,” saying it had progressed far ahead of schedule.
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they've got no air force,” Trump told CBS News in a phone interview. “Their missiles are down to a scatter, their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones.”
Trump added, “If you look, they have nothing left. There's nothing left in a military sense.” He also noted that Washington is “very far” ahead of his initially stated timeframe for the conflict, which he had projected would last four or five weeks.
At a White House event on Thursday, Trump had stated that “the United States military, together with the wonderful Israeli partners, continues to totally demolish the enemy far ahead of schedule. We're destroying more of Iran's missiles and drone capabilities every single hour.”
He added that Tehran’s “navy is gone,” and that “they have no air force, no air defense, all of their airplanes are gone, their communications are gone, missiles are gone, and [missile] launchers are gone.”
The US-Israel campaign against Iran entered its tenth day on Monday, with bombardments largely targeting security and military installations as well as government institutions across the country.
The first day of operations on February 28 saw an airstrike kill Iran’s longtime supreme leader, Ali Khamenei (1939–2026), along with several family members and senior commanders.
Trump’s remarks come less than a day after the slain leader’s second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was named Iran’s new supreme leader on Sunday.
The appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei came in direct defiance of Trump, who on Friday called the selection of the elder Khamenei’s second son “unacceptable,” warning that he “is not going to last long” without Washington’s approval.
On Monday, Trump reaffirmed his stance, telling NBC News, “I think they [the Iranian side] made a big mistake.”
When asked by CBS if he had a message for the incoming leader, Trump said, “I have no message for him. None, whatsoever,” adding that he had someone else in mind to lead Iran.
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