U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that U.S. military operations against Iran had severely damaged the country’s armed forces, claiming American strikes destroyed dozens of Iranian naval vessels and crippled key military capabilities.
Speaking in Doral, Florida, at the Shield of the Americas Summit, where he hosted leaders from across the Americas, Trump expressed satisfaction with the ongoing campaign.
Trump says US destroyed 42 Iranian Navy ships in three days: 'They’re bad people'
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“We knocked out 42 Navy ships, some of them very large, in three days. That was the end of the Navy,” Trump said. He added that U.S. forces had also “knocked out their air force” and destroyed Iran’s communications networks. “I don’t know how they communicate now,” he said.
Trump described Iran as responsible for years of violence in the region.
“They’re bad people. When you look at October 7 and beyond October 7, look at all the killing that they’ve done,” he said.
The president again argued that the military action was necessary because Iran was close to developing nuclear weapons.
“They were very close to a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “This had to be done.”
Earlier in the day, Trump referred to what he described as an Iranian “apology” to Gulf states targeted during the war. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote that Iran’s pledge not to attack neighboring countries came only because of military pressure.
“This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israel attack,” Trump wrote.
Trump also said Iran had sought to dominate the region but had now suffered an unprecedented defeat.
“It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern countries,” he said. “Iran is no longer the bully of the Middle East. They are the ‘loser of the Middle East.’”
He warned that additional strikes could follow, saying Iran would be “hit very hard today.”
Meanwhile, NBC News reported overnight that Trump had shown “serious interest” in the possibility of deploying ground forces to Iran as part of planning for the postwar situation. According to the report, Trump discussed the idea with aides and Republican figures outside the White House.
The network said the discussions focused on a limited deployment for specific strategic objectives rather than a broad ground invasion. No decision has been made and no order has been issued, according to the report.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied the report.