Dare Babalola
President Donald Trump has stated that he has multiple paths forward in the US operation against Iran, including a long-term effort to “take over” the country.
“I can go long and take over the whole thing, or end it in two or three days and tell the Iranians: ‘See you again in a few years if you start rebuilding’ the country’s nuclear capabilities,” Trump told Axios on Saturday.
Trump also predicted it would take “several years” for Iran to recover from the joint US-Israeli attack, which came after the negotiations with the country’s leadership stalled.
In the interview, Trump cited the lack of progress in talks over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its decades-long record of being linked to attacks around the world.
The president also claimed Iran had begun rebuilding some of the facilities that the US struck last year, which he previously claimed had been “obliterated.”
Trump did not provide a specific timeline for the offensive, saying it would depend on developments on the ground, including the fate of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Axios reported.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that there are “many signs” indicating Khamenei may have been killed in a joint US-Israeli strike on his compound in Tehran.
