WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has put the United States on the verge of conflict in opposition to Iran with the purpose of ending that nation’s nuclear weapons program, lower than eight months after proclaiming he had “completely and totally obliterated” that very same program.
The United States Navy already has one service strike group inside plane and missile vary of Iran within the Arabian Sea. Another is underway to the Eastern Mediterranean, the place it might even be in vary and out there to guard Israel and American bases within the area from retaliatory strikes.
Trump informed reporters on Air Force One Thursday that Iran needed to “make a deal” within the coming days. “I would think that would be enough time: 10-15 days. Pretty much maximum,” he stated on his solution to a rally in Georgia.
That language is almost equivalent to what he stated on June 19, 2025: Iran needed to make an settlement to desert its nuclear program “within the next two weeks.” Trump, although, ordered the navy to hit three weapons websites in Iran after simply two days.
Eight months later, Trump has not defined why a second assault on Iran is critical now if the nation’s nuclear weapons program was, in reality, destroyed by his air strike final 12 months.
“Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” he informed the nation in a White House speech hours after the June 21, 2025 assault.
“We obliterated Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity, making it impossible for them to have a nuclear weapon, which they would have had probably in about two months from then,” he stated once more in a Sept. 29, 2025, photograph alternative with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Indeed, the White House even posted a web page on its web site accusing those that questioned Trump’s use of that phrase of pushing “fake news.”
Trump was particularly requested final week, given these earlier claims, why it was essential to assault Iran’s nuclear services once more. His reply, nonetheless, was obscure.
“Well, you could get whatever the dust is down there. Uh, that’s really the least of the mission. If we do it, that would be the least of the mission. But we’d, you know, probably grab whatever’s ― whatever’s left. It has been obliterated, as you know,” he informed reporters as he ready to board Air Force One on his solution to conduct a political rally at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
Thursday morning, Trump informed his “Board of Peace” assembly that discussions with Iran are persevering with however that Iran must make “a deal.”
“They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region and they must make a deal or, if that doesn’t happen, I maybe can understand if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. But bad things will happen if it doesn’t,” he stated.
Representatives from Iran and the United States met Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland, however have been unable to succeed in a deal. Progress in the direction of any settlement appears halting at greatest.
Trump additionally seems to be ignoring Congress completely as he strikes ahead with what could possibly be a significant conflict. Unlike former President George W. Bush, who went to Congress for authorization to assault Iraq in 2002, Trump doesn’t seem to have given congressional leaders an replace on his intentions, at the same time as his buildup of Air Force and Navy planes and ships within the space continues.
Under the Constitution, solely Congress can declare conflict, however presidents since World War II have more and more taken navy motion on their very own initiative.
Congress handed the War Powers Act in 1973 in an try to rein that in, however the regulation solely requires a president to inform congressional leaders after the navy engagement has already taken place.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-iran-war-obliterated_n_6997680fe4b012cccb42a983