President Trump comments on Iran, Hezbollah, and maritime security: President Trump addressed the war with Iran, security in the Strait of Hormuz, Hezbollah, and related strategic issues.
President Trump: "Oil tankers can use the Strait of Hormuz".
President Trump: "The Spanish side is not cooperating with us at all, and Spain has been terrible. We might stop doing business with them".
President Trump: "We need to get rid of Hezbollah, which has been a disaster for a long time".
President Trump: "For them it is a war; for us, it turned out to be easier than we thought".
President Trump claimed that 58 Iranian vessels were sunk during Operation Epic Fury, including 31 mine-layers, presumably destroyed within the last 24 hours.
President Trump: "We knocked out 58 naval ships. Their navy — let’s put it that way. And we also knocked out the mine-layers — the ships that lay mines. They put mines in the water at night. Lovely job, right? Blow up ships. And we knocked out 31 of them".
Reporter: "Have they laid any mines in the Strait of Hormuz?"
Trump: "We don't think so".
🗣️ Questions on U.S. strikes and war objectives: Reporter: "Do you take responsibility for the Minab school strike? A military investigation found out that the U.S. struck the school".
President Trump: "I don't know about it".
Reporter: "Can you declare victory in this war if the Supreme Leader remains the Ayatollah's son?"
President Trump: "I don't want to comment on that".
President Trump: "I have been briefed on Iranian sleeper cells inside the US. We know where most of them are. We have got our eye on all of them, I think".
After saying the U.S. military has "virtually drstroyed" Iran, President Trump said: "We don’t want to go back every two years. Because someday there will be a time when you don’t have me as president. And perhaps you’ll have a weak, pathetic person like we’ve had in the past".
On oil prices, President Trump said: "Oil prices are already coming back down, and they’re going to come down further. However, we’re not leaving until that job is finished. It’s going to be very fast — very fast. But we’re not going to count on having competent presidents in the future".
🎖️ Additional developments: Pentagon officials told Congress that the war against Iran has cost at least $11.3 billion to the United States during the first six days of fighting. The figure is expected to rise as additional operating costs are calculated.
In a showcase video, U.S. Central Command said it is "Focused on very clear military targets to eliminate Iran's ability to project power against America and its neighbors".
In a separate development, a fire broke out on an oil tanker near Umm Qasr port in Basra in Iraq's territorial waters.
⚠️ Iran issues regional threats and warnings: The Iranian Armed Forces stated: "In the event of a threat to our ports, all ports in the region will become legitimate targets for us".
A senior Iranian military official told Al Jazeera: "If Washington makes a strategic mistake, another strait will be placed in a situation similar to the Strait of Hormuz". The same official also said: "The region may soon enter a regional war, and we still have many cards to play".
Iranian Armed Forces Spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi said: "We ask neighboring countries not to host Americans and to expel them".
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