Donald Trump has declared the American military campaign against Iran is exceeding every expectation, telling reporters he would put US progress at “15 out of 10” as the names of the last two service members to die in the conflict were released by the Pentagon.
Addressing reporters at the White House, Trump described his forces as occupying a “very strong position” and characterised the five-day joint assault with Israel as “tremendous progress.”
“Somebody said on a scale of 10 where would you rate it? I said, about a 15,” he said.
He returned to a familiar claim, insisting that without the strikes, Iran would have possessed a nuclear weapon “within two weeks” — a statement at odds with a Tuesday assessment from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which found “no evidence” of Iran pursuing a nuclear bomb.
Final two soldiers named
The two remaining unnamed casualties from Sunday’s drone strike on a US command centre in Kuwait were identified on Wednesday as Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan, 54, and Major Jeffrey O’Brien, 45.
According to the Department of Defense, Marzan was “believed to be the individual who perished at the scene,” with formal confirmation pending from a medical examiner. The other four soldiers lost in the same strike had been named the previous day.
Trump has previously acknowledged more deaths are likely. “Sadly there will likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it is,” he said. The White House added that he intends to be present for the dignified transfers when the fallen soldiers are brought home.
Netanyahu’s office framed the campaign in sweeping terms, with spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian delivering a video statement declaring: “Israel and the United States have together made historic gains to protect our citizens and the civilised world.”
Bedrosian argued the military action had been unavoidable, pointing to Iran’s alleged reconstruction of its nuclear programme in “new underground bunkers” and intelligence suggesting Tehran had been preparing to “attack Israel and American forces in the Middle East.”
Kurdish ground offensive denied
Reports of a Kurdish ground offensive pushing into Iranian territory drew denials from both Washington and Erbil. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump had held discussions with Kurdish leaders regarding the American base in northern Iraq, but was emphatic that “any report suggesting that the president has agreed to any such plan is completely false and should not be written.”
Aziz Ahmad, deputy chief of staff to the Kurdistan region’s prime minister, was equally dismissive. “Not a single Iraqi Kurd has crossed the border,” he said.
On Capitol Hill, an attempt by Senate Democrats to compel Trump to seek congressional authorisation for further strikes collapsed on Wednesday night when the resolution failed to clear the chamber — handing the president the freedom to press ahead without legislative constraint.