“Now, of course, it’s much easier than it was a day ago,” Trump said in a telephone interview when asked about the prospect of a diplomatic solution to the crisis. “Because they get beaten up badly.”
He expressed confidence in the results so far, calling Saturday’s strikes “a great day for this country, a great day for the world.”
Earlier, Mr. Trump announced that Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader for nearly 37 years, was killed in the attacks. Sources told CBS News that about 40 Iranian officials were killed in the US-Iran strike.
Mr. Trump told CBS News that “there are some good candidates” to lead Iran in the wake of Khamenei’s death, but did not elaborate.
Early Saturday evening, after a meeting with officials and world leaders throughout the day, the president said he continues to closely monitor Iran’s response in the region to the attacks. Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel and attacks on US allies elsewhere in the Middle East.
“It’s what we expected,” Mr. Trump said of the retaliatory response, but noted that Iran’s attacks so far have been less than what the U.S. and its allies expected.
“We thought it would be a doubling,” he said, although he added that the situation remains fluid. “So far it’s less than we thought.”
There have been no reports of American deaths or injuries during the operation in Iran, U.S. Central Command said. In Israel, one person was killed and dozens were injured in the retaliatory attacks.
On Capitol HillRepublicans supported the president. Some Democratic leaders, such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have urged Trump to “provide Congress and the American people with critical details about the scope and urgency of the threat.”
When asked if he would work with Congress on Iran-related matters in the future, Mr. Trump said: “I always want to work with Congress. Always. I have always worked with Congress.”
Toward the end of the interview, Mr. Trump again praised the U.S. strikes as successful and declined to answer whether he views U.S. combat operations in Iran as a “war” with the country. He said he remains focused on eliminating threats to the United States.
#Trump #Diplomatic #solution #Iran #remains