Trump speaks on whether US will invade Iran
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump stated that the operation against Iran is ahead of schedule. However, he did not rule out a ground invasion by US forces, according to the New York Post.
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According to him, the operation Epic Fury is progressing faster than he expected, as 49 Tehran officials were killed in a short period.
"That (the elimination of Iranian officials) was, you know, going to take, we figured, at least four weeks, and we did it in one day," Trump said.
However, he did not rule out the use of ground forces if necessary.
"I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground — like every president says, 'There will be no boots on the ground.' I don’t say it. I say 'probably don’t need them,' (or) 'if they were necessary.'" Trump added.
According to the US president, he decided to strike after the Geneva negotiations failed and new intelligence was received about Iran’s secret work on nuclear weapons.
"We had very serious negotiations, and they were there, and then they pulled back," he explained.
What’s happening in Iran
Since the start of the operation on February 28, Iran has effectively lost almost its entire military leadership. Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzade, Chief of the General Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, and Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Mohammad Pakpour were killed.
In total, according to the White House, 49 leaders of the Iranian regime were eliminated, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several members of his family.
The US has also suffered losses. US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the deaths of three American service members during the Epic Fury operation.
Another five were seriously injured. Several other soldiers sustained minor injuries and concussions.
