Trump says US ‘totally destroying’ Iran, criticizes New York Times coverage

ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump said early Friday that the US was “totally destroying” Iran militarily and economically, criticizing coverage by The New York Times that suggested otherwise.

“We are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise, yet, if you read the Failing New York Times, you would incorrectly think that we are not winning,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

The US president said Iran’s military assets were being heavily damaged.

“Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth,” he said.

Trump added that the US possessed overwhelming military capacity and would continue its campaign. “We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time - Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today,” he wrote.

The president also accused Iran of longstanding violence.

“They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honor it is to do so!”

The remarks came amid US and Israeli attacks on Iran launched on Feb. 28 that have killed around 1,300 people, including several top officials.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Iraq, and Gulf countries that host US military assets.