‘Iran is dying to make a deal’: Trump asserts US blockade has broken Tehran

Washington: US President Donald Trump issued a series of expansive claims regarding the internal stability and military status of Iran on Thursday, asserting that American strategic intervention has forestalled mass executions and crippled the Islamic Republic’s defensive infrastructure.

Speaking during an executive order signing ceremony in the Oval Office, the president alleged that Tehran has engaged in large-scale violence against its own citizens during recent periods of civil unrest.

"Iran killed 42,000 people over the last two months," Trump stated. "They were going to kill eight women whose lives I saved. And I appreciate that they didn't do it. I asked them not to do it, but they didn't do it."

The president characterised current U.S. actions as a "military operation" rather than a declared war, suggesting that the pressure has brought the Iranian government to the brink of a diplomatic surrender. "I'd rather have a military operation. Iran is dying to make a deal," he said.

The Economic and Military Toll

Trump credited the ongoing naval blockade with the near-total collapse of the Iranian economy. "Their economy is crashing. The blockade is incredible. The power of the blockade is incredible. They're not getting any money from oil," he added, expressing hope for a swift resolution.

Regarding the Islamic Republic’s military readiness, the president claimed that U.S. efforts have systematically dismantled Tehran’s primary combat branches and manufacturing hubs.

"Their navy's gone. Their air force is gone, their drone factories are about 82 per cent down, and their missile factories are almost 90 per cent down," Trump asserted.

Allegations of Human Rights Abuses

The president detailed his purported personal intervention to prevent the state execution of several women. "They were getting ready to hang the women. I got on the phone very quickly, and I said, 'Don't do it. The whole world is watching,'" he said.

He further pointed to the execution of a prominent wrestler and his associates as evidence of political repression, stating, "They killed him because he protested. They executed him along with his friends."

Trump insisted that the actual death toll from internal crackdowns far exceeds official estimates, claiming the state "killed 42,000 innocent, not weapon-carrying people, for protesting, and the number they say is a lot higher than that."

Domestic Economic Links

Trump linked the timing of his heightened focus on Tehran to domestic financial milestones, specifically the performance of the American stock market.

"We just hit a new high today on the stock market. We have S&P is through the roof, when we hit 50,000 on the Dow and 7,000 on the S&P, I said to myself, we got to do something about Iran," Trump remarked.

He concluded by reiterating his administration’s core objective: "They want to have a nuclear weapon. You can't let them have a nuclear weapon."

Tehran’s Defiant Stance

Trump's rhetoric follows a stern warning from Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament. Ghalibaf recently stated that Tehran remains committed to securing the Persian Gulf and intends to terminate American "presence and interference" by asserting total control over the Strait of Hormuz.

The standoff over the strategic waterway continues to serve as the primary flashpoint in the escalating power struggle between Washington and the Islamic Republic.

With inputs from ANI