President Donald Trump issued a harsh and uncompromising warning Sunday evening, saying that the U.S.-directed military offensive against the Iranian regime would carry on “at full force” until every strategic objective is met. The President’s video address served as both a status report on Operation Epic Fury and a tribute to the first American service members killed since the conflict started on Feb. 28.
"No Choice But Strength"
Touting this initiative from his Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump stressed that the decision to embark on the large scale of the campaign was a precautionary necessity in order to counter any potential threats from a nuclear-armed Iran. “An Iranian regime that is able to deliver long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would be a significant threat to every American,” Trump said. “Combat operations go on right now, and they will go on until all our objectives are met. We have very strong objectives.”
The President noted that hundreds of targets were already hit, including Revolutionary Guard facilities, air defense systems and naval assets. The President specifically noted that nine Iranian ships have been sunk, adding mockingly when he said: “Other than that, their Navy is doing very well.”
The Human Cost: First Casualties in the United States
The somber tone of the address focused on the notification that three U.S. service members in Kuwait were casualties of Iranian retaliatory fire. Five had emerged seriously injured. Trump cautioned the American people that they should be ready for further losses, describing it as the “duty and burden of a free people” to guarantee future generations’ survival. "Sadly, there will likely be more casualties," he warned, while assuring Americans that the mission is "ahead of schedule."
Operation Status: "The Command is Gone"
Although the President explicitly stated that he was not accountable for the “decapitation strikes” directed at individual leaders — an operational division of labor often ascribed to Israeli forces he said “the entire military command is gone.” It comes after reports of the deaths of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
