US President Donald Trump made several statements on Thursday (local time) regarding Iran, its domestic conditions and ongoing US actions, claiming that US involvement has helped avert large-scale executions and substantially weakened Iran’s military capabilities.
While signing the executive order in the Oval Office, Trump said that Iran had carried out mass killings during internal unrest, ANI reported.
“Iran has killed 42,000 people in the last two months. They were going to kill eight women whose lives I saved. And I appreciate that they didn’t do it. I asked them not to do it, but they didn’t.”
Trump described US operations as ongoing but not a formal war, saying: “And this despite a military operation. I don’t call it a war. I’d rather have a military operation. Iran is dying to make a deal.”
“Their economy is collapsing. The blockade is unbelievable. The power of the blockade is unbelievable. They are not getting any money from oil. And hopefully this can be resolved very soon,” he added.
He claimed that US actions had significantly reduced Iran’s military capacity, saying: “Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone, their drone factories are about 82 percent out of service, and their missile factories are almost 90 percent down.”
The US president went on to claim that he personally intervened to stop the executions, stating: “They were getting ready to hang the women. I got on the phone very quickly and said, ‘Don’t do it. The whole world is watching.”
Trump also described the wider alleged crackdown in Iran, including the execution of a wrestler and his associates for political speech, saying: “They killed him because he protested. They executed him along with his friends.”
(This is a developing story; check back later for updates)
