“Prepared To Go Far Longer”: Donald Trump Signals Prolonged US Military Action In Iran

US President Donald Trump has outlined his justification for the ongoing military strikes on Iran, arguing that the campaign is meant to dismantle Tehran's missile and nuclear infrastructure. He indicated the operation may continue for several weeks and could be extended if Washington believes the threat has not been neutralised.

According to Trump, the central objective is to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability and to weaken systems he says protect that programme.

Missile Programme Called 'Colossal Threat'

Explaining the decision to launch attacks, Trump described Iran's expanding missile arsenal as an immediate danger to both American territory and overseas forces.

"The regime's conventional ballistic missile program was growing rapidly and dramatically. This posed a very clear and colossal threat to America and to our forces stationed overseas."

He added that the reach of Iranian missiles was already extensive and could soon extend even further.

"The regime already had missiles capable of reaching Europe and our bases, and it soon would have had missiles capable of reaching our beautiful America."

Trump argued that the weapons programme was closely linked to nuclear ambitions.

"The purpose of this fast-growing missile program was to shield their nuclear weapons development and make it extraordinarily difficult for anyone to stop them from producing these highly forbidden nuclear weapons."

Claims Of Heavy Damage To Iranian Military Assets

The US president said the strikes are targeting both production capability and operational strength. He claimed ongoing attacks are degrading Iran's military infrastructure in real time.

"We are destroying Iran's missile capabilities, and you see that happening on an hourly basis, along with their capacity to produce brand-new and pretty good ones."

He also asserted that Iranian naval forces have already taken substantial losses.

"Second, we're annihilating their Navy. We've already knocked out 10 ships. They're at the bottom of the sea."

Operation Timeline May Expand

While Trump suggested the current phase could last around a month, he left open the possibility of a longer campaign if necessary. Reports cited by the Associated Press indicate he expects operations to run roughly four to five weeks but is prepared to continue beyond that timeframe.

The administration maintains the overall goal is to incapacitate Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons and reduce the military protection surrounding that programme.