- Trump warned of initiating a third wave of military strikes against Iran following Khamenei's death
- Two prior US-Israeli attacks targeted Iran's leadership and nuclear capabilities
- Trump claims Iran's navy, air force, radar, and air detection systems are knocked out
US President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that the US is initiating a "third wave" of military strikes against Iran. This follows the elimination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the initial phases of Operation Epic Fury.
Ahead of a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office with the German chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said that "everything's been knocked out" in Iran.
"As you know, 49 people were taken out in the first hit. And I guess there was another hit today on the new leadership, and it looks like that was pretty substantial also. So they're getting hit very hard, and we'll see what happens," he said.
He added, "I guess you have a third wave coming."
Trump said that two waves of US-Israeli attacks on Iran had killed figures he had eyed as potential new leaders, adding that there had been a "substantial" new attack on a meeting to choose the new leadership.
"Most of the people we had in mind are dead," he said. "Now we have another group. They may be dead also, based on reports."
Trump also claimed that Iran's navy, air force, air detection and radar has been knocked out.
"They have no navy - it's been knocked out. They have no air force; that's been knocked out. They have no air detection; that's been knocked out. Their radar has been knocked out, and just about everything's been knocked out," he told reporters.
The primary goals of the joint attack by the US and Israel was to destroy Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities and topple the regime.
Iran has retaliated by targeting US military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE, as well as the US Embassy in Riyadh. Hezbollah has also entered the conflict, launching strikes against Israel in response to Khamenei's death.
"Might Have Forced Israel's Hand"
Trump's administration has given conflicting reasons for going to war, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Monday that the United States did so only after learning that ally Israel was going to strike.
But Trump walked that back, saying that he acted to prevent Tehran launching an assault first.
"Based on the way the negotiation was going, I think they (Iran) were going to attack first. And I didn't want that to happen," Trump said in the Oval Office.
"So, if anything, I might have forced Israel's hand."
