President Donald Trump spoke to the nation after what he termed several successful military operations targeting Iran’s three primary nuclear weapons sites on Saturday.
“Not long ago, the U.S. military executed significant precision strikes on the three critical nuclear facilities of the Iranian regime: Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan,” he stated. “These names have been known for years as they developed this extremely destructive program.
“Our goal was to eliminate Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities and to halt the nuclear threat posed by the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism. This evening, I can inform the world that the strikes were an extraordinary military achievement,” he continued.
“For four decades, Iran has proclaimed, ‘Death to America. Death to Israel.’ They have been responsible for the deaths of our citizens, amputating limbs with roadside explosives,” Trump added. “That was their expertise. We have lost over a thousand individuals, and countless others across the Middle East and globally have perished as a direct consequence of their animosity in particular.”
Trump further asserted that Iran’s nuclear facilities had been “completely destroyed” and that the nation has been cornered and “must now pursue peace.”
“Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites have been entirely and utterly obliterated,” Trump remarked. “And Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now seek peace. Should they fail to do so, future assaults would be significantly more severe and much simpler.”
Trump’s remarks followed his announcement on Thursday, via Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, that he would determine whether to strike Iran within a two-week period, which now seems to have been a deliberate misdirection.
“I have a message directly from the president, and I quote, ‘Considering the substantial possibility of negotiations that may or may not occur with Iran in the near future, I will decide whether or not to proceed within the next two weeks,’”
Trump consistently urged Iran to negotiate an agreement regarding its nuclear program prior to any military intervention against its nuclear sites. Nevertheless, Iran canceled its planned discussions with the U.S. on June 15 in Oman and refused to re-engage in negotiations in the subsequent days. On June 12, Israel executed preemptive strikes on Iran after intelligence suggested significant advancements in Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump commended the U.S. military for successfully carrying out the operation and praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his cooperation with the U.S. during the endeavor.
“I wish to express my gratitude and congratulations to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We collaborated as a team, perhaps like no other team has ever done before, and we have made significant progress in eliminating this grave threat to Israel. I also want to acknowledge the Israeli military for their outstanding performance,” the president stated. “Most importantly, I want to congratulate the brave American patriots who piloted those remarkable aircraft tonight, along with all members of the United States military for an operation the likes of which the world has not witnessed in many, many decades.”
Trump cautioned Iran that “there will be either peace or there will be tragedy” for the nation following the strikes.
“Keep in mind, there are numerous targets remaining. Tonight’s operation was by far the most challenging and potentially the most deadly. However, if peace does not arrive swiftly, we will pursue those other targets with precision, speed, and expertise,” the president warned.
“Most of them can be neutralized in a matter of minutes. No military in the world could have accomplished what we achieved tonight. Not even close. There has never been a military capable of executing what transpired just a short while ago,” Trump concluded.
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