- US strikes on Iran have killed over 1,330 people, per Iranian authorities
- Trump called those killed in US-Israeli attacks "very sick people"
- US attacks have damaged Iran's navy, air force, and communications
US President Donald Trump said that the people who were killed in US-Israeli attacks were "sick people, very sick people". According to the Iranian authorities, Operation Epic Fury has resulted in the deaths of more than 1,330 people so far.
Speaking at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral in Florida, Trump asserted that the war on Iran is "a service that we're providing, not for the Middle East but for the world."
"These were sick people, very sick people," he said about those killed in US-Israeli attacks.
Trump said that the US has been doing "amazing" in its war against Iran. He claimed that US strikes have significantly damaged the country's military capabilities, destroying its navy, air force and communications infrastructure.
"We knocked out 42 navy ships, some were very large, in three days. That was the end of their navy. We knocked out their air force, we knocked out their telecommunications..."
The US President described the operation as necessary to counter a nuclear threat. "They (Iran) were very close to a nuclear weapon," Trump said, adding, "They would have had one if we didn't do our B-2 hit 'Midnight Hammer'."
Trump added that the military campaign had been effective but acknowledged the human cost of war.
He said he would travel to Dover to meet the families of American service members killed in the conflict.
"I'll be leaving for Dover. Very sad situation to greet the families of the heroes coming home from Iran," Trump added.
"There's always, when it comes to war, there's always that, but we're gonna keep it to a minimum."
Trump framed the campaign as part of a broader effort to stabilise the Middle East and deter future threats.
"It's gonna be something, a service that we're really providing, not for the Middle East, but for the world," he said.
The expanding war in Iran entered its second week on Saturday amid renewed uncertainty about how or when hostilities will end, as Trump declared he would only accept Tehran's "unconditional surrender" and Israel traded fresh attacks with Iran and Lebanon.
Trump's comments on social media on Friday came hours after Iran's president announced that unnamed countries had begun mediation efforts, briefly raising the possibility, however faint, of a diplomatic resolution a week after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
Trump has offered shifting explanations of his war aims, raising the possibility of an extended regional conflict that has already spilled well beyond Iran's borders, shaken global financial markets and sent oil prices soaring.
In response to the attack, Iran has targeted Israel as well as multiple Gulf states that host US military installations.
(With inputs from agencies)
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