BRUSSELS, June 25 (KUNA) -- US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that American strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities led to the "total obliteration of Iran's nuclear capabilities," claiming the attack set the Iranian program back by decades.
This came during a joint press conference held by Trump with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and attended by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Trump stated that the strikes completely destroyed the Iranian nuclear program.
"They're (the Iranians) not going to be building bombs for a long time" asserting that the operation helped end the war with Iran and contributed to achieving a ceasefire between Iran and Israel that is "going very well." Trump said the program had been delayed for "basically decades" they just went through hell, and now the last thing they want to do is enrich." He added, "That hit ended the war." Trump likened the conflict between Iran and Israel to "two kids in a school yard," saying, "Let them fight like hell for two or three minutes, then it becomes easy to stop them." US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth supported Trump's remarks, describing the operation as "flawless and impressive." Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that Iran is now "way behind" in its nuclear program than a week ago.
For his side, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised the US strike, saying it "took out the nuclear capability of Iran" and was carried out in an "impressive way," adding that the signals it sends to the rest of the world is "one of strength." (end) arn.gta