Trump Says US Hit Iran 'Very Hard,' Signals Open-Ended Military Posture
Trump says US struck Iran 'very hard' and war may not last much longer, while declining to detail support for opposition.
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States had struck Iran "very hard" in the latest round of military action, while expressing hope that the conflict would not extend much further.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump described the overnight operation as a "very heavy attack" and indicated that Washington retained the capacity to launch further strikes at will. "We're prepared to do another one anytime we want," he said.
The president downplayed suggestions that the ongoing war could become a political liability, insisting that the timeline of the conflict was not tied to the approaching midterm elections. "I'm not running. But my party is running and I'm going to help my party," Trump said, adding that he believed his party's stance on preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon enjoyed broad respect.
When asked about his recent social media post urging the Iranian people to "rise up and fight," Trump declined to say whether the US was prepared to arm opposition groups seeking to challenge the Iranian government. "I'd love to tell you that, but it wouldn't be appropriate to say," he said, while expressing sympathy for the protesters' plight. "I understand their plight. They're being shot."