President Donald Trump addressed Americans on Wednesday night, saying the U.S. military ‘Operation Epic Fury’ is nearing completion of its objectives in Iran.

Mr Trump, in an address from the White House, said the U.S. was intensifying operations in Iran, permanently disabling its ability to project power outside its own borders.

The U.S. leader said the objective of the war was to ensure that Iran never has nuclear weapons.

“I’ve made clear from the beginning of Operation Epic Fury that we will continue until our objectives are fully achieved,” he said. “I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly. We’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks— we’re going to bring them back to the Stone Age, where they belong.”

The U.S. kicked off combat operations against Iran on February 28, destroying Iranian offensive missiles and missile production, the Iranian navy, and other security infrastructure.

Mr Trump told the nation that the U.S. military has been masterful in how it has decimated one Iranian military capability after another.

“We are systematically dismantling the regime’s ability to threaten America or project power outside of its borders,” the president said. “That means eliminating Iran’s navy, which is now absolutely destroyed, hurting their air force and their missile program at levels never seen before, and annihilating their defence industrial base. We’ve done all of it; their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Their missiles are just about used up or beaten.”

The president said that, taken together, these actions have crippled Iran militarily and crushed its ability to support terrorist proxies.

According to U.S. Central Command, since the start of operations, over 12,300 sites have been struck in Iran, over 13,000 combat flights have been launched, and over 155 Iranian military vessels have been damaged or destroyed.

Mr Trump asked Americans to remember the military personnel who have lost their lives during the conflict.

“We think especially of the 13 American warriors who have laid down their lives in this fight to prevent our children from ever having to face a nuclear Iran,” the president said.

The president also thanked Middle Eastern allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain, for supporting American forces.

(NAN)