Washington: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday asserted that the US-Iran conflict is “largely over,” claiming that American military operations have effectively dismantled Iran’s core defensive systems and neutralised its immediate nuclear threat.

Describing the campaign as a swift and decisive military operation, Trump said the conflict could have concluded within days. “Iran is just a military operation to me. Iran is something that was essentially largely over in two or three days,” he said, emphasising that US forces swiftly targeted the country’s navy, air force, and anti-aircraft systems, leaving Iran’s military exposed.

US forces operating freely over Iranian airspace

Trump claimed that US aircraft now operate freely over Iranian territory, describing the near-total collapse of Tehran’s defensive capabilities. “They have no radar, no anti-aircraft, they have nothing,” he said, warning that Iran is currently unable to counter any further strikes.

He added that US forces could quickly target Iran’s critical infrastructure, including electricity grids, shipping lanes, and oil facilities, though he noted oil installations have been spared due to the long-term complexity of rebuilding pipelines.

“We could take out their electric capacity in one hour. We have all the- there’s nothing they can do right now because everything is knocked out,” Trump said.

Nuclear threat eliminated

Trump claimed that the military campaign neutralised Iran’s nuclear ambitions, warning that failure to act could have triggered a catastrophic nuclear scenario. “If they got a nuclear weapon, I would say they would have used it within 24 hours,” he said, referencing previous B-2 Spirit bomber strikes as decisive operations to prevent a broader conflict.

He also highlighted strategic targets identified during his tenure, including Kharg Island, stressing that Iran has been a “bad player” for decades and that the US operation curtailed potential threats in the Middle East and beyond.

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Longstanding warnings on Iran

Reiterating his long-held position, Trump stated that he had repeatedly warned the world about Iran’s threat. He framed the operation as part of a broader effort to prevent escalation and ensure global security.

“The world would have been in a dangerous position if we hadn’t acted,” he said, stressing that the operation was aimed at neutralising Iran’s military and nuclear capacity while maintaining US and regional security.