🚨Trump Speaking LIVE Right Now At Emergency News Conference | Major Iran Announcement
Donald Trump details "Operation Epic Fury," claiming U.S. strikes hit over 5,000 Iranian targets, dropping missile capability to 10% and drone production by 83%. Asserting the new Supreme Leader is an "unacceptable choice," he alleges Iran faced imminent nuclear acquisition threatening Israel while eight Americans died in the campaign. Addressing a school strike report as an investigation into generic weapons, Trump vows to finish the job, protect oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, and coordinate with Putin, framing the intervention as essential to prevent further regional annihilation. [Automatically generated summary]
Their drone manufacturing has been hit starting today.
We know all of the places they manufacture the drones and they're being hit one after another.
Their missile capability is down to about 10%, maybe less.
We're also hitting where they make missiles and where they deliver missiles.
We've struck over 5,000 targets to date.
Some of them very major targets.
And we've left some of the most important targets for later in case we need to do it.
If we hit them, it's going to take many years for them to be rebuilt, having to do with electricity production and many other things.
So we're not looking to do that if we don't have to.
But they're the kind of things that are very easy to hit, but very devastating if they are hit.
We are waiting to see what happens before we hit them.
We could take them all out in one day, but it's all resulting in a 90% decline in various things, but in particular, Iranian missile launchers and 83% drop in drone launchers, as you know.
The drone launchers are pretty well shot, but we're at over 90% decline in the Iranian missile launchers, which is very hard to reproduce and very hard to get.
And usually what we were able to do through great equipment, a lot of smart people, as soon as they sent a missile up from a launcher, we were able to knock out that launcher within a period of five minutes or less, accurately right on the noggin.
So now we have low-cost interceptors effectively combating Iranian drones.
And our B-2 bombers recently dropped dozens of 2,000-pound bombs to destroy missile launchers all over Iran and buried deep under Iranian soil in many cases.
The soil was no match.
And we're also annihilating the manufacturing base that the regime uses to build drones and missiles at a rate that nobody thought was possible.
We're knocking them out.
We know where they all are.
We're knocking them out very quickly.
We're ahead of our initial timeline by a lot.
I would say that we probably would not have thought after a month we'd be here.
In addition to the fact that we've taken out the leadership twice and maybe three times.
And we, as you know, we want to be involved.
We don't want another president that maybe wouldn't be willing to do what I'm willing to do for the good of the world, for the good of our nation, to be stuck with the situation in five years or 10 years from now.
So we think they should put a president in or the head of the country in that's going to be able to do something peacefully for a change.
They've been doing this for 47 years, killing people for 47 years, whether it's the barracks or even the SS Cole where they were involved very strongly.
They always denied it, but they were very strongly involved.
And all of the people that died through the roadside bombs died and are right now walking around with no legs, no arms, a face that's been so badly damaged.
The Iranian regime has been attacking Americans and spreading terror for 47 years.
And despite these countless opportunities to renounce their nuclear ambitions, which they had just a short while ago, they told Mr. Witkoff, who is standing right over here, they said, they actually said, we want to keep building.
Essentially, in a real nutshell, we want to continue to build nuclear weapons.
If we didn't knock out Midnight Hammer, if we didn't knock out their Iranian potential, if we didn't do that with Midnight Hammer, they would have had a nuclear weapon.
They would have used it long before now.
And at a minimum, Israel would have been annihilated.
It was very lucky that we had the courage to do that, that we had the talented pilots and the great equipment.
The B-2 bombers are unbelievable.
We ordered 25 more, by the way.
The newer, better version.
We have the greatest military in the world.
We have the greatest equipment in the world by far.
You see that no matter where we go.
You still need the people, though, to operate it and to use it.
And those are the people that we cherish.
Even after we obliterated their key nuclear sites in operation, Midnight Hammer, they never negotiated in good faith.
They still continued to say we want to build nuclear.
We want enrichment at levels that were unacceptable.
And they even turned down an offer for unlimited free nuclear fuel forever for civilian purposes.
We had people offering them free nuclear fuel.
They weren't interested in that because they wanted to build a nuclear weapon.
So instead, the regime was trying to reconstitute its weapons program at a different site.
They couldn't go back to where they were, the three sites that we obliterated.
But they were starting work at another site, a different site, different kind of a site.
And that was protected by granite.
They wanted it protected.
Granite's pretty good, but they wanted it protected by a lot deeper.
They wanted to go a lot deeper.
And they started the process while rapidly building conventional ballistic missiles.
They were going to do it all at the same time.
It threatened our overseas bases and soon could have reached even our homeland.
The regime's intention was to use this exponentially growing ballistic missile threat to make it virtually impossible to prevent them from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
So, as you probably saw, they had a tremendous number of missiles, most of which are now being used or destroyed and very unsuccessfully used because we have been able for the most part to shoot them all down.
What incredible technology the Patriots have been unbelievable and other things.
And the laser technology that we have now is incredible.
It's coming out pretty soon.
We're literally lasers will do the work of at a lot less cost, do the work of what the Patriots are doing or what other things are doing.
The situation was very quickly approaching.
The point of no return, and the United States found it intolerable, in my opinion, based on what Steve and Jared and Pete and others were telling me.
Marco was so involved that I thought that they were going to attack us.
I thought they would, if we didn't do this at the time we did it, I think they had in mind to attack us.
And if you notice, they did something which was very foolish, very stupid, I would say.
They attacked their neighbors.
And their neighbors were largely neutral, or at least weren't going to be involved.
And they got attacked.
And it had the reverse effect.
The neighbors came onto our side and started attacking them and actually quite successfully.
If you look at Saudi Arabia, you look at UAE, Qatar, and others.
But they were strong and they were smart.
But they got attacked.
Nobody, when I first heard it, I said, no, somebody made a mistake.
There was no mistake.
UAE had over a thousand missiles shot at it, knocked them almost all down.
On the very first day I came down the escalator in 2015, I said, quote, I will stop Iran from willing to do what I'm willing to do for the good of the world, for the good of our nation, to be stuck with the situation in five years or 10 years from now.
So we think they should put a president in or the head of the country in that's going to be able to do something peacefully for a change.
They've been doing this for 47 years, killing people for 47 years.
Whether it's the barracks or even the SS Cole where they were involved, very strongly, they always denied it.
But they were very strongly involved.
And all of the people that died through the roadside bombs died and are right now walking around with no legs, no arms, a face that's been so badly damaged.
The Iranian regime has been attacking Americans and spreading terror for 47 years.
And despite these countless opportunities to renounce their nuclear ambitions, which they had just a short while ago, they told Mr. Witkoff, who is standing right over here, they said, they actually said, we want to keep building.
Essentially, in a real nutshell, we want to continue to build nuclear weapons.
If we didn't knock out Midnight Hammer, if we didn't knock out their Iranian potential, If we didn't do that with Midnight Hammer, they would have had a nuclear weapon.
They would have used it long before now.
And at a minimum, Israel would have been annihilated.
It was very lucky that we had the courage to do that, that we had the talented pilots and the great equipment.
The B-2 bombers are unbelievable.
We ordered 25 more, by the way.
The newer, better version.
We have the greatest military in the world.
We have the greatest equipment in the world by far.
You see that no matter where we go.
You still need the people, though, to operate it and to use it.
And those are the people that we cherish.
Even after we obliterated their key nuclear sites in operation, Midnight Hammer, they never negotiated in good faith.
They still continued to say we want to build nuclear.
We want enrichment at levels that were unacceptable.
And they even turned down an offer for unlimited free nuclear fuel forever for civilian purposes.
We had people offering them free nuclear fuel.
They weren't interested in that because they wanted to build a nuclear weapon.
So instead, the regime was trying to reconstitute its weapons program at a different site.
They couldn't go back to where they were, the three sites that we obliterated.
But they were starting work at another site, a different site, different kind of a site.
And that was protected by granite.
They wanted it protected.
Granite's pretty good, but they wanted it protected by a lot deeper.
They wanted to go a lot deeper.
And they started the process while rapidly building conventional ballistic missiles.
They were going to do it all at the same time.
It threatened our overseas bases and soon could have reached even our homeland.
The regime's intention was to use this exponentially growing ballistic missile threat to make it virtually impossible to prevent them from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
So as you probably saw, they had a tremendous number of missiles, most of which have now been used or destroyed and very unsuccessfully used because we have been able, for the most part, to shoot them all down.
What incredible technology.
The Patriots have been unbelievable and other things.
And the laser technology that we have now is incredible.
It's coming out pretty soon.
We're literally lasers.
will do the work of at a lot less cost, do the work of what the Patriots are doing or what other things are doing.
The situation was very quickly approaching.
The point of no return and the United States found it intolerable in my opinion, based on what Steve and Jared and Pete and others were telling me, Marco, so involved, that I thought that they were going to attack us.
I thought they would, if we didn't do this.
At the time we did it, I think they had in mind to attack us.
And if you notice, they did something which was very foolish, very stupid, I would say.
They attacked their neighbors.
And their neighbors were largely neutral, or at least weren't going to be involved.
And they got attacked.
And it had the reverse effect.
The neighbors came onto our side and started attacking them.
And actually, quite successfully.
If you look at Saudi Arabia, you look at UAE, Qatar, and others, but they were strong and they were smart.
But they got attacked.
Nobody, when I first heard it, I said, no, somebody made a mistake.
There was no mistake.
UAE had over a thousand missiles shot at it, knocked them almost all down.
On the very first day I came down the escalator in 2015, I said, quote, I will stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.
And all I'm doing is keeping my promise.
Think of that.
That was in 2015.
I said it.
It was a threat then and a much bigger threat now, but no longer a threat, not for a long time anyway.
We want to keep it that way.
As we continue Operation Epic Fury, we're also focused on keeping energy and oil flowing to the world.
And I will not allow a terrorist regime to hold the world hostage and attempt to stop the globe's oil supply.
And if Iran does anything to do that, they'll get hit at a much, much harder level.
I will take out those targets that were easy and that I mentioned just before.
We'll take them out so quickly, they'll never be able to recover, ever.
If they want to play that game, they better not play that game.
In the long run, oil supplies will be dramatically more secure without the threat of Iranian ships, drones, missiles, nuclear menace, or anything.
So the Strait of Hormuz is going to remain safe.
We have a lot of Navy ships there.
We have the best equipment in the world, inspecting for mines.
Again, most of their ships are down at the bottom of the sea, but we will hit them so hard that it will not be possible for them or anybody else helping them to ever recover that section of the world, if they do anything.
In recent years, the regime and its terror proxies have launched attacks on hundreds of commercial vessels.
Okay, and with respect to everything they have is gone, including their leadership.
In fact, there are two levels of leadership, and even actually, as it turns out, more than that, but two levels of leadership are gone.
Most people have never even heard about the leaders that they're talking about.
unidentified
uh it's obviously been very very powerful very effective to cuba you said that cuba wants to make a deal what would the united states get in return for that And why should Americans trust Marco Rubio to negotiate it?
And I will say that the tomahawk, which is one of the most powerful weapons around, is used by, you know, is sold and used by other countries, you know that.
And whether it's Iran, who also has some tomahawks, they wish they had more.
But whether it's Iran or somebody else, the fact that a tomahawk, a tomahawk is very generic.
It's sold to other countries.
But that's being investigated right now.
Yeah, please.
unidentified
Thank you.
Mr. President, you've said the war is, quote, very complete, but your defense secretary says this is just the beginning.
We went artificially up because of this excursion into a very positive thing.
I mean, this was an excursion that a lot of people wouldn't have done.
I knew oil prices would go up if I did this, and they've gone up probably less than I thought they'd go up.
But I don't think anybody thought we were going to be this quickly successful.
This was a military success, the likes of which people haven't seen.
We have the best military.
We have the best equipment.
We have, I believe, the best generals.
We have the best.
And this went very quickly.
We talked about that with President Putin.
He was very impressed with what he saw because nobody's ever seen anything quite like it.
You know, Iran was a very powerful military country with all of the missiles.
Now, you had the double attack.
You had the original attack with us in Israel, and that knocked them for a loop.
Then you had the B-2 bombers, which took out their nuclear capability, and they would have had a nuclear weapon within two weeks to four weeks, and they would have used it long before this press conference.
And we might have had a much different press conference if we had a press conference at all.
But it's been amazing.
The military success that we've had is truly unprecedented.
unidentified
You said you've told your congressional colleagues that you will not sign any piece of legislation until the Save America Act is passed.
Does that include the confirmation of Senator Mullen as your next DHS secretary?
Does that mean a DHS funding bill?
And Senator Thun said today, it's not a matter of whether or not your Republican colleagues agree with the policy.
It's about changing the process.
In other words, getting rid of the filibuster to get there.
One of the things we have to do is get the Democrats to stop the Democrat shutdown, because as you know, the apparatus that looks into that, Schumer and the Democrats have shut it down, which tells you they probably hate our country a lot, but the Democrats have to open that up.
But we've got very, very good intelligence into that.
We know a lot of different things that have happened that have been very bad.
A lot of them came in during the Biden open border period, but we have them under, we've got them, we're watching every single one of them.
Yeah, we know a lot about them.
The biggest problem we have is the Democrat shutdown.
We know a lot about them, but the shutdown doesn't allow us to do what we have to do.
They're not going to be starting the following day to develop a nuclear weapon where they'll look at that man and some other people from the administration and say, all right, we're not going to do it.
They were not willing to say that.
And when Steve called up and he said that to me, I said, well, here we go.
Let's do it the hard way.
But the hard way, I think, is probably the easy way.
When basically I can see that they will no longer have any capacity whatsoever for a very long period of time of developing weaponry that could be used against the United States, Israel, or any of our allies.
We have great allies in the Middle East, great countries that are allies.
And they were staying out of it until they got hit.
Someday they'll have to do a story.
Why did he do that?
Why did they do that?
But they were going to hit them.
If I didn't hit them first, they were going to hit our allies first.
I believe upon information and belief, but I believe that he was going to, they were going to take over the Middle East.
They were looking to take over the Middle East.
Now, had Operation Midnight Hammer not taken place, that was definite because they would have had a nuclear weapon within a matter of weeks.
But that took place.
That was a setback.
But look at the number of missiles they were able to buy and make over the last six months.
And those missiles were aimed at various countries.
And when you look at a thousand over a thousand missiles shot at like UAE, they were looking to take over the Middle East.
We got there first.
Lucky.
I'll tell you what, the Middle East and those countries, very rich countries, are very lucky that I was president instead of somebody else.
unidentified
Are there any points of disagreement between yourself and your vice president when it comes to U.S. action in Iran?
You promised the Iranian people you would help them, but it sounds like you're willing to end this fight after your military objectives have wrapped up.
I met the parents, and they were unbelievable people.
They were unbelievable people, but they all had one thing in common.
They said to me one thing, every single one: finish the job, sir.
Please finish the job.
And I'll leave you at that.
Thank you very much, everybody.
Thank you.
unidentified
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soul never sold It's the Benny show where the truth gon' be Faith and freedom on your TV screen Stand up strong, battle through the night The Benny shows here bringing liberty to light Liberty to light Bringing liberty to light Liberty to light Bringing liberty to light From the speeches to debates,
Benny sharp like a blade Cutting through the lies, watch the truth cascade With the warrior's heart, this man never fades You know it's prime time when Benny invades From saving the nation to stories untold The Benny shows a storm, see the truth unfold Stay in the loop, let freedom take hold Salt in all the libs, soul never sold It's the Benny show where the truth gon' be Faith and freedom on your TV screen Stand up Battle through the night.