Las Vegas (Nevada) [US], April 17 : US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) said that the United States is heading towards "victory very shortly" against Iran while making strong remarks on military developments involving Iran and past US operations in the region.
Speaking during an event here, Trump suggested progress in ongoing strategic actions and claimed significant degradation of Iranian capabilities.
"And I said, we're in there for two months, and you know what? We're gonna have victory very shortly," he said.
He described Iran as a "tough, smart country" while asserting that its military capacity had been severely reduced.
"And against a very tough, smart country. These people were fighters, and you know, I don't want to claim it before the fact, but they (Iran) have no Navy left. 158 ships at the bottom of the sea. 158, think of it," Trump said.
Trump also referred to past US military actions targeting Iranian commanders, including Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force.
"They had one named the Soleimani. You know Soleimani? We took him out. He was the worst, one of the worst terrorists in the history of this country, this world," he said.
He alleged that Soleimani was responsible for attacks on US personnel and referenced wounded American soldiers.
"They killed many of our people. Many of our people have been killed. When you see a young soldier mostly going around without legs, without arms, with a face so badly injured, it was Soleimani that did that," Trump said.
The remarks come amid heightened tensions in West Asia and ongoing diplomatic and security developments involving the United States and Iran, including ceasefire-related negotiations and maritime security concerns.
Earlier, President Trump on Thursday said it remains unclear whether the ceasefire with Iran will be extended, but expressed optimism that a deal could soon be reached, with the next round of talks likely over the weekend.
"We're doing very well. I can tell you, maybe it'll happen before that. I'm not sure it needs to be extended. Just so you know, Iran wants to make a deal," Trump said, adding that "we've got to have no nuclear weapons."
He said progress in negotiations could make an extension unnecessary. "We're focused so much right now on Iran... and I think we're going to be in very good shape," he said, adding that "it's looking very good that we're going to make a deal with Iran."
On the timeline, he added, "Probably maybe over the weekend."
Trump reiterated that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains the key goal. "If there's no deal, fighting resumes," he added.
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