Trump's statement on attacks against Iran: The big wave hasn't come yet

US President Donald Trump made statements regarding Iran and the Middle East. In comments made to the US press via telephone, Trump said, "We are hitting them hard. I think it's going very well. It's extremely intense. We have the most powerful military in the world and we are taking advantage of that."

Addressing various issues, from the expected duration of the conflict to the surprise caused by Iran's retaliations against regional countries, Trump said, "I don't want it to take a very long time. I always thought it would be four weeks. We are a little ahead of schedule."

When asked if the US is doing anything beyond military strikes to help the Iranian people take control of the country from the regime, Trump answered, "Yes." Trump said, "Yes, we really are. But right now we want everyone to stay home. It's not safe outside."

Warning that the situation will become even more unsafe, Trump said, "We haven't even started hitting them hard yet. The big wave hasn't come yet. The really big one is coming very soon."

"We were surprised by this situation"

Stating that the biggest surprise in the war with Iran so far has been Iran's attacks on Arab countries in the region, Trump said, "We were surprised by this situation. We told these countries, 'We will handle this,' but now they want to fight. Moreover, they are fighting aggressively. They were going to be very minimally involved, but now they are insisting on being involved."

Saying that Iran hitting targets like a hotel and an apartment building angered regional countries, Trump said, "They like us, but they were just watching. There was no reason for them to get involved."

Trump also expressed that Iran's nuclear threat has long been a major problem in the region, stating, "What needs to be understood is that they have lived under this dark cloud for years. There could never be peace this way."

"We don't even know who they will choose"

When asked who would lead Iran, Trump replied, "We don't know who the leadership is. We don't even know who they will choose. Maybe they'll get lucky and find someone who knows what they're doing."

Adding that Iran lost its leadership cadre in the initial attacks on Iran, Trump said, "Right now, even they don't know who is leading them. We took out 49 Iranian leaders."

Trump said that Iranian leaders acted arrogantly by gathering in the same place and believed their locations could not be detected.

"We couldn't make a deal"

Stating that his team tried to negotiate with Iranian officials but "could not make a deal," Trump noted that the Iranians did not agree to end uranium enrichment. Saying that the way to deal with Iran is through the use of force, Trump added, "You don't need to deal with agreements like this."

Stating that he requested a list of attacks by Iran and Iranian-affiliated militias against the US and its allies from his team, Trump said, "I asked them to present me with all the attacks they have carried out over the last 47 years. I couldn't finish if I told you all of them."

"Israel might not have existed"

Referring to the killing of Qasem Soleimani, known as the chief architect of Iran's Middle East policies, on January 3, 2020, Trump said, "Last time, we neutralized Soleimani." Describing the attack on Soleimani as a "big move," Trump said, "If this hadn't happened, Israel might not be here today. Israel might not have existed."

Referring to the targeting of Iran's nuclear facilities in the Midnight Hammer Operation conducted last June, Trump said, "They were one month away from obtaining nuclear weapons."