WASHINGTON (USA) (ITALPRESS) – “I am very disappointed by NATO. This was a test for them, an opportunity to prove that they can help us. They didn’t. Some even said they would send their ships only after the conflict would end. But we don’t need their help, and if they do it later, it would be useless. It is a situation we will remember in a few months, and it shows how unreliable they are.” Thus the President of the United States, Donald Trump, at the White House Cabinet meeting, criticizing the lack of support of Western allies and underlining the US military self-sufficiency. “We were about to face Iran with nuclear weapons, and it would be a disaster.” Trump then explained in detail the military operations conducted against Tehran, underlining how the United States prevented the Islamic Republic from gaining nuclear capacity that, according to him, would be used without hesitation. Trump spoke of Operation Epic Fury as an “unparalleled campaign” with which, in his opinion, the United States hit missiles, drones, production bases and the main naval and air capabilities of the Islamic Republic. “We have estimated that it would take four-six weeks to reach our mission, and we are far ahead of the program, 26 days and are advancing at an incredible speed,” he said. “Their navy no longer exists, 154 ships lie on the bottom of the sea”, it scanned, underlining the American military supremacy.
According to the President of the United States, Iranian leaders are understanding the severity of their situation: “They themselves admit that it is a disaster, they know that they cannot recover, and now they are begging us to negotiate. Anyone would be willing to treat after being completely annihilated,” he said. The president reiterated that the choice of “negotiating or continuing the conflict” remains in the hands of Tehran, claiming that the regime would have no other chance than to sit at the table. To confirm this diplomatic strategy, during the meeting of Gabinetto the special envoy of the president for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, confirmed that the United States has already presented to Iran a “ 15-point plan”, transmitted through Pakistan as a possible framework for a peace agreement. According to Witkoff, there is a “strong possibility” that one can reach an agreement, although the details of the individual points have not been made known, which, according to international sources, would include proposals on ceasefire, dismantling of nuclear capacity and security guarantees. Vice President J.D. Vance strengthened Trump’s vision, stating that the Iranian “conventional army” was “effectively destroyed” during operations and that Tehran “has no longer a navy and has no capacity to strike us as he could not even a few weeks ago.” “And what he does is that he gives us options,” he added, without getting into the details on which these options actually are.
Trump also reiterated the strong pressure on Iranian infrastructure, saying: “We are destroying all their cities and their missile bases, all drones that are building, all communication and anti-aircraft capabilities. Each level of their military leadership has been hit, completely eliminated. Without our intervention, they would have had a nuclear weapon within weeks and would have used it.” The President also linked military action to the fight against drug trafficking: “We hit every boat that can carry drugs in the United States. We have reduced drug input by 98% by sea, and now we will focus on the mainland.” At the meeting Trump addressed part of his speech to internal politics, criticizing the Democrats for government shutdown: “We are on the 41st day of this infamous block, caused by the radical Democrats, and are punishing the American people, including travellers at airports. They want to grant amnesty to irregular criminals and protect the so-called ‘citizen sanctuary’. They must immediately end this block, otherwise we will take drastic measures.” Trump reiterated that while the United States maintains military pressure on Iran, there is an open door for diplomacy: “They have the opportunity to make a deal, but it depends on them. If they want to negotiate, well; if they don’t want, we will continue to hit them no longer. Every missile, every drone, every base they build is hit. No one can stop us.”.
With the addition of the peace proposal at 15 points – delivered through intermediaries and seen as a possible basis for a ceasefire – the Trump administration claims to keep the diplomatic routes open, despite sources close to Tehran have already spoken of a rejection of the plan. During the meeting, a journalist asked Trump whether it was true that the United States was considering hijacking some ammunition for Ukraine to the Middle East. Trump responded: “I should check, but we do it all the time. We have enormous amounts of ammunition, we have them in other countries, like in Germany and throughout Europe. Sometimes we take from one place and use them for another. We help Ukraine, but Biden started, gave 350 billion dollars, too, definitely too. Now we sell them to NATO, which probably gives them to Ukraine, but we get paid for everything, we don’t give anything for free. It is a difficult situation, but it has practically no impact on operations in the Middle East. The conflict in Ukraine is thousands of miles away, and it does not affect what we do here.” Trump added: “In any case, I want to stop the death of young people, they are like in a slaughterhouse. In two months, 25,000 people, most soldiers, died. I can solve this situation, and it would be a great honor to do so. I do this to stop the dead, simple.”.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
