WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump expressed confidence in the US military campaign against Iran even as the timeline for operations remained deeply unclear on the fifth day of the Middle East war.
"We’re doing very well on the war front,” Trump said Wednesday (March 4) at the White House, adding that for "47 years, they’ve been killing our people and killing people from all over the world, and I think we have great support.”
The conflict showed no sign of abating, with Tehran again targeting Israel and Gulf states.
Meanwhile, Israeli and US forces made good on pledges to bomb more targets in the Islamic Republic.
The US sank an Iranian warship in international waters, marking the first time since World War II that an American submarine has attacked a surface vessel.
In Washington, the Republican-controlled Senate rejected a Democratic attempt to halt the strikes, clearing the way for operations to continue. The House, also controlled by Trump’s party, is expected to vote on a similar measure Thursday (March 5).
Markets remained volatile amid fears of further escalation. The White House said Iran’s regime had been "absolutely crushed.”
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said US forces had struck more than 2,000 targets and were moving toward "complete and total control of Iranian airspace.”
Trump has offered shifting explanations for the strikes, reiterating claims that Iran posed an imminent threat and saying the US acted before Tehran could attack Israel or American interests.
"Their missiles are being wiped out rapidly. Their launchers are being wiped out. They’re attacking their neighbours. They’re attacking their... allies, or not so long ago allies.
"It’s really a nation that was out of control, and they would have used it on us if we let them,” Trump said.
Leavitt reinforced Trump’s caution that the future of Iran’s leadership remains unclear, with intelligence agencies "closely monitoring” the succession.
The duration of military operations remains uncertain, with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth telling reporters that "it could be six, it could be eight, it could be three” weeks.
At times, US officials appeared to sow confusion about the operation.
Leavitt said that it was her "understanding over the past several hours” that Spain had "agreed to cooperate with the US military.”
A Spanish official later denied that the government had reversed course on its refusal to allow the US to strike targets from bases inside its borders.
Iran has shown no sign of abandoning its nuclear or missile programs despite US and Israeli claims of heavy damage.
Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, said Iran still has "significant capabilities” and that "there’s still a long way to go.” — Bloomberg
