On Monday, March 2nd, President Trump hosted a ceremony at the White House to award three US Army soldiers with the Medal of Honor. During the event, he also discussed the joint military operations between the United States and Israel against Iran.
The military operation, known as “Operation Wrath of the Epic,” was launched last Saturday, February 28th, and achieved a significant victory by eliminating Iran’s top leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, on the first day. This is seen as a crucial turning point in the conflict.
President Trump began by expressing condolences to the families of the four American heroes who recently lost their lives in the Iran conflict, offering them the deepest sympathy and support.
“We will continue with unwavering determination to crush the threat that this terror regime poses to the American people – indeed, it is a threat,” Trump said.
At the Medal of Honor ceremony held in the East Room of the White House, the President posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to retired Army Command Sergeant Major Richardson, a veteran of the Vietnam War, Army First Sergeant Edmonds, a World War II veteran, and Staff Sergeant Ollis, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2013.
Trump stated that the United States is currently destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, emphasizing that Iran’s missile production capabilities are at a “very impressive” level, with advancements in missile technology almost seen on an hourly basis.
“Secondly, we are decimating their navy,” he added, “We have already sunk 10 ships.”
“Thirdly, we are ensuring that the world’s top sponsor of terrorism can never acquire nuclear weapons,” he said.
“Lastly, we are ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund, and command terrorist militias outside its borders.”
The President mentioned that the current military progress against Iran has far exceeded expectations but indicated that if necessary, the campaign against Iran could be extended.
“No matter how long it takes, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “No matter how much time.”
“From the start, we anticipated needing four to five weeks, but we have the capability to endure longer. We will do so,” he added.
President Trump confirmed on Monday at the White House that the United States is continuing large-scale military operations in Iran.
Trump warned, “The Iranian regime has missiles that can strike Europe and our domestic and overseas bases, and soon they will have missiles that can hit our beautiful America.”
He emphasized that an Iran with nuclear weapons is intolerable to the United States.
“This is our final opportunity to strike Iran,” he said.
On Monday, the Israeli military announced that schools and workplaces would remain closed until 8 p.m. local time on March 7th, and the ban on public gatherings would also be extended until the same time.
Previously, a similar order had been issued, but it only applied to March 4th.
Iranian ally, Russian President Putin, spoke over the phone with four leaders from Gulf countries on Monday. He warned that US and Israeli attacks on Iran could escalate into a regional conflict. These four leaders are from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain.
There are reports that the UAE and Qatar are lobbying allies, trying to persuade the US to end the Iran conflict as soon as possible.
Before the public event on Monday, President Trump stated in an interview with CNN, “I don’t want this to drag on too long. I have always thought it would be four weeks, and we are ahead of schedule as expected.”
US Secretary of Defense (War Secretary) Hegseth also stated during a media briefing earlier on Monday that this operation would not be a repeat of the Iraq war and would not be an “endless war.”
“I have experienced both of these wars firsthand. At this point, our generation understands better than anyone else, and the President does too. He called the national war against Iraq twenty years ago foolish. He is right,” the Secretary of Defense said.