White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday said President Donald Trump’s military strikes on Iran prove that when the US president issues a warning, he follows through.
“When President Trump makes a threat — and I have reiterated that threat many times from this podium over the past year — President Trump does not bluff,” Leavitt told reporters during a press briefing at the White House.
She pointed to the recent strikes against Iranian targets as the clearest example yet that Trump intends to enforce what the administration calls its “red lines.”
“The terrorists bet that President Trump would be like many of his predecessors, that he would just talk and refuse to enforce his clear red lines,” she said. “That has proven to be a catastrophic error in judgment.”
WHITE HOUSE CALLS OPERATION A RESOUDNING SUCCESS
Leavitt described the ongoing US military campaign against Iran as a major success so far.
“It’s safe to say that thus far, Operation Epic Fury has been a resounding success,” she said, crediting US forces for carrying out the strikes “backed up by the mightiest warriors in the world.”
According to the White House, the operation has four main objectives:
1. Destroy Iran’s ballistic missile program
2. Annihilate Iran’s naval presence in the region
3. Dismantle Iranian-backed militant groups
4. Prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons
“The goals of this operation have been made very clear,” Leavitt said, adding that Trump laid out the strategy when he announced the campaign.
IRAN ACCUSED OF REJECTING DIPLOMACY
Leavitt argued that Iran’s leadership had rejected diplomatic efforts before the conflict.
“Iran refused to say yes to peace, and their refusal made clear that their number one priority was building a nuclear weapon with which to threaten the United States of America,” she said.
“Iran rejected the path of peace because the terrorists in charge of this regime wanted to build nuclear weapons to use against Americans and our allies.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had denied that the country is developing nuclear weapons, saying weapons of mass destruction are forbidden under Islamic principles.
US EXPECTS CONTROL OF IRANIAN AIRSPACE
Leavitt said the United States expects to achieve “complete and total dominance” of Iranian airspace soon as the operation continues.
“We expect to have complete and total dominance over Iranian airspace in the coming hours, clearing the skies for our brave warriors to continue achieving these objectives,” she said.
The comments came as Iran continued retaliatory strikes across parts of the Middle East following the US-Israeli attacks that triggered the conflict.
NO US TROOPS PLANNED INSIDE IRAN – FOR NOW
Despite the escalating conflict, the White House said deploying US ground troops inside Iran is not currently planned.
“They’re not part of the plan for this operation at this time,” Leavitt said, while leaving the possibility open if circumstances change.
“I will never take away military options on behalf of the president of the United States or the commander in chief,” she added.
UNCERTAINTY OVER IRAN’S LEADERSHIP
Leavitt also addressed speculation about Iran’s future leadership following reports that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the country’s supreme leader, could eventually assume the role.
“We’ve seen those reports as well,” she said. “The truth is we’ll have to wait and see. Our intelligence agencies are closely monitoring the situation.”
TRUMP TO HONOUR FALLEN US TROOPS
Leavitt confirmed that Trump plans to attend the dignified transfer ceremony for American service members killed in Iran’s retaliation.
“President Trump intends to attend the dignified transfer of these American heroes to stand in grief alongside their families,” she said.
Six US service members were killed Sunday when Iran struck a makeshift operations center at Kuwait’s Shuaiba port.
The Pentagon has identified four of them as Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, Capt. Cody Khork, Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, and Sgt. Declan Coady, who was posthumously promoted from specialist.
