US President Donald Trump admitted that the United States “should not have been in Iran,” in remarkable remarks he made during an interview with Lara Trump - his son’s wife - on Fox News, but at the same time he defended US military operations against Tehran, and repeated his claims regarding its nuclear program.
Trump said, “Look at what happened in Iraq. We did very badly. What we did was foolish. We shouldn’t have been there in the first place.” He then added, “And we shouldn’t have been in Iran, but Iran has the capability,” referring to its nuclear program, according to Common Dreams.
Trump claimed that the US strikes prevented Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, saying that Tehran “would have a nuclear weapon now” if it weren’t for the US bombing, and that US B-2 bombers thwarted that path.
In what appeared to be contradictory remarks, Trump said the United States had “largely left the Iranian military alone” because it was “more moderate” than other elements within the Iranian regime , but he simultaneously added that the Iranian navy was “100% finished” and the Iranian air force was “100% finished.” These statements drew criticism because they contradicted previous statements by the US president asserting the complete destruction of the Iranian armed forces.
Trump also hinted at the possibility of resuming military operations if the ongoing negotiations fail, saying that the United States is “very close to a good deal,” but warned that “if we don’t get what we want, we will finish it another way,” referring to the military option.
These statements come at a time when US-Iranian negotiations are still facing major obstacles regarding Iran's nuclear program and other issues related to ending the months-long war.
According to data from the Iranian Ministry of Health, the US and Israeli attacks on Iran since late February have killed 3,468 people, including 496 women and 376 children, according to media reports based on official Iranian statistics.
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