Trump Seeks To Justify Iran War, But Stated Objectives Shift
HuffPost
The military campaign has killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sunk at least 10 Iranian warships and struck more than 1,000 targets.
WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday sought to justify a broad, open-ended war on Iran, offering his most extensive public comments yet on an operation whose stated aims and timeline have shifted since it began over the weekend.
Trump, who was back at the White House after a weekend in Florida, said the U.S. and Israeli air attacks that began on Saturday had been projected to last four to five weeks but could go on longer. The military campaign has killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sunk at least 10 Iranian warships and struck more than 1,000 targets.
“We’re already substantially ahead of our time projections. But whatever the time is, it’s okay. Whatever it takes,” Trump said at his first public event since the conflict began.
He made no mention of regime change, saying the fight was needed to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, which Tehran denies seeking, and to thwart its long-range ballistic missile program.
“An Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat to the Middle East, but also to the American people,” Trump said.
