Trump says he wants to bring 'freedom' to the Iranian people

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that he wants to bring "freedom" to the people of Iran, just hours after he launched joint airstrikes against the country alongside Israel.

"All I want is freedom for the people,” Trump said during a brief telephone interview with the Washington Post newspaper. "I want a safe nation, and that’s what we’re going to have."

The remarks represent the first public comments delivered by the president since he announced the start of offensive operations against Iran in a brief video he posted to social media early Saturday morning.

“A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime,” Trump said in the taped message.

“Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world,” he added.

The president vowed to destroy Iran's missiles, raze its missile industry to the ground and annihilate the navy, reiterating that it cannot have a nuclear weapon.

“We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally, again, obliterated,” Trump said.

“We're going to ensure that the region's terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces and no longer use their IEDs or roadside bombs, as they are sometimes called, to so gravely wound and kill thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans,” Trump added, stressing that they will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

Israel earlier announced that it launched what it is calling a “preemptive” attack against Iran early Saturday under the name “Lion’s Roar,” declaring a “special and immediate” state of emergency across the country.

The attacks come as talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program had been ongoing under Oman’s mediation. A new round of talks in Geneva ended on Thursday.

Last June, the US struck three Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day Israel-Iran war.