President Donald Trump has said the US has severely weakened Iran’s military capabilities and claimed the confrontation has brought Gulf states closer to Washington, saying regional governments are now more united against Tehran after recent attacks.
In an interview with Fox News Radio’s Brian Kilmeade, Trump said the US campaign has inflicted heavy damage on Iran’s missile and drone capabilities. “We are decimating them,” Trump said. “We’ve knocked out most of their missiles. We’ve knocked out many of their drones.
We knocked out a lot of the manufacturing areas where they manufacture the missiles and now the drones.” He added: “We’re hitting them harder than anybody’s been hit since World War II.” Trump said the escalating conflict had strengthened US ties with Gulf partners after several countries in the region were struck during the crisis.
“We’re very, very solid. The relationship, the unity, is tremendous,” he said. “I spoke to most of them today.” According to Trump, some Gulf states had initially tried to remain outside the confrontation but were drawn into the conflict after attacks linked to Iran.
“They got hit, and they really, nobody expected it,” Trump said. “They were sort of staying away and… more or less neutral.” Trump argued that Iran had broader ambitions in the region and said the US campaign was aimed at preventing Tehran from dominating the Middle East.
“What Iran wanted to do is take over the whole Middle East,” he said. “If we didn’t stop them with the B-2 bombers, they would have done that.” The President also claimed that Iran’s armed forces had been badly degraded during the fighting. “Their Navy has totally gone,” Trump said.
“Their Air Force is gone. Their leadership is gone. Their second leadership is gone. Now, their third leadership is in trouble.” He suggested the campaign had progressed faster than anticipated. “We’re way ahead of schedule, way ahead,” Trump said. “We had no idea we’d be this far ahead.”
Trump said Iranian missile attacks had sharply declined as a result of US operations. “We’ve knocked out close to 90 per cent of their missiles,” he said, adding that the attacks were now “down to a trickle”. Asked about shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy routes, Trump said the US could escort oil tankers if necessary.
“Well, we would do it if we needed to,” he said. “But we would do it if we needed to.” Trump also said the current focus of the US campaign was destroying Iran’s missile and drone infrastructure rather than securing its uranium stockpiles. “No, not at all, and we’re not focused on that,” he said when asked about seizing uranium.
“Right now, we’re focused on knocking the hell out of their missiles and their drones.” The President also suggested that Iran’s weakening position could reshape regional diplomacy, including the possible expansion of the Abraham Accords. “It’s made it much easier,” Trump said when asked whether Gulf states might move closer to normalising relations with Israel.
The Gulf region hosts millions of expatriate workers, including a large Indian community across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and other countries, making regional stability a key concern for many Asian economies dependent on energy flows from the Middle East.
The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to global shipping lanes, carries a significant share of the world’s oil exports. Any disruption to traffic through the narrow waterway has historically triggered volatility in global energy markets and heightened security concerns across the region.