Trump Announces Four Strategic Goals Against Iran, Military Operation May Last Four to Five Weeks
U.S. President Trump said on Monday, March 2, that the large-scale military operation by U.S. forces against Iran is expected to last four to five weeks, and may even last longer, emphasizing that the United States is prepared for a prolonged war and will "see it through." Trump also made his first systematic statement on the four objectives of this military operation, including destroying Iran's ballistic missile capabilities, weakening its naval forces, ensuring that Iran cannot acquire nuclear weapons, and preventing Tehran from supporting armed groups abroad.
According to reports from AFP and Reuters, Trump spoke about the current situation in the Middle East before attending an award ceremony at the White House. This was the first time since February 28 that Trump provided a systematic explanation of the goals and progress of the operation.
Trump stated that the military operation has four objectives: first, to destroy Iran's ballistic missile capabilities; second, to weaken or even "completely destroy" Iran's navy; third, to ensure that Iran, a "major state sponsor of terrorism," never acquires nuclear weapons; fourth, to prevent the Iranian regime from arming, funding, and directing affiliated armed groups abroad.
Trump said that the military operation is "ahead of schedule," with the U.S. military having sunk 10 Iranian vessels and continuing large-scale operations. He also mentioned that the initial estimate was that the operation would take four to five weeks, but "the United States has the capability to continue for a longer period, regardless of how long or at what cost."
Trump also expressed condolences for the four U.S. service members who died in the operation and vowed to "firmly and resolutely" eliminate the threat posed by the Iranian regime to the United States. Latest reports indicate that the number of U.S. soldiers killed has increased to six.
Trump Says He Has the "Last and Best Opportunity"
Trump also explained the reasons for launching this military operation, stating that Iran already has missile capabilities capable of striking Europe and U.S. overseas bases, and "will soon also have missiles that can strike the U.S. mainland." He said that the U.S. "seized the last and best opportunity" to act against Iran to eliminate this threat.
He revealed that the U.S. had once believed it was close to reaching an agreement with Tehran, but the latter "repeatedly backtracked," ultimately leading to a sharp deterioration in the situation.
Additionally, Trump told the New York Post that he did not rule out sending ground troops to Iran if necessary. He also told CNN that after the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei, the U.S. still did not know about Iran's new leadership arrangements.
General Dan Caine, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said earlier that the military operation against Iran would take some time to achieve its set goals and expected more U.S. casualties in the future.
Source: rfi
Original: toutiao.com/article/1858591278295175/
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