US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran has become “a devastated country,” adding that “things will happen soon” in Tehran.
Speaking at the White House, Trump claimed that the United States had eliminated Iran’s naval and air forces and had “near-total control” of the Strait of Hormuz.
He also said the United States had managed to move large quantities of oil through the strait, describing the volume as unprecedented in the waterway’s history.
Trump’s remarks came as the confrontation between the United States and Iran continues alongside diplomatic efforts to establish arrangements for ending the fighting and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has said it received a US response to its latest proposal.
On Iraq, Trump said the United States had achieved a “decisive victory” over the Islamic State in the country, adding that “it is time for America to come home.”
His remarks coincided with the completion of the US withdrawal from Iraq, ending a 12-year military mission against the Islamic State while cooperation with Iraqi forces continues in areas including training and intelligence.
Trump compared the withdrawal from Iraq with the US experience in Afghanistan, saying the United States lost all of its military equipment there and that around 4,500 US troops were killed during the war. He said the withdrawal from Iraq was different from the Afghan experience.
Regarding Venezuela, Trump said the United States was “putting a new system in place” with Caracas, predicting that the situation there would improve within less than two and a half years.
On the economy, Trump said the United States has “the greatest economy in the world,” pointing to investments worth $21 trillion.
On immigration, Trump said he was working to “prevent the United States from collapsing,” criticizing an open-border policy that he described as “devastating.”
He added that, according to his account, the United States had not recorded any entries across an open border during the past 18 months.
Source: AFP
