Trump Says Iranian Oil Facility Is ‘totally Demolished’ But Us May Continue To Bomb It ‘just For Fun’

President Donald Trump said that Kharg Island, nan tract of critical Iranian lipid infrastructure, has been "totally demolished" by U.S. bombing, arsenic he claimed that Iran wanted to discuss a ceasefire.

During a telephone pinch NBC News connected Saturday, Trump boasted that nan U.S. subject "totally demolished" nan island, adding that "we whitethorn deed it a fewer much times conscionable for fun."

According to nan Pentagon, nan U.S. subject utilized $11.3 cardinal worthy of munitions successful nan first week of nan warfare successful Iran.

Trump besides told NBC News successful a 30-minute telephone question and reply that Iran wanted to discuss a ceasefire but said that he had not agreed “because nan position aren’t bully capable yet.” He did not springiness specifications connected nan expected connection aliases what he would see acceptable isolated from to opportunity that immoderate woody needed to beryllium “very solid” and would impact Iran committing not to build a atomic weapon.

“Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because nan position aren’t bully capable yet,” he said.

The president besides questioned whether Iran’s caller ultimate leader “is moreover alive,” and said he was “surprised” that Iran had attacked its neighbors successful nan aftermath of a associated U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign. He has called for different countries, including nan U.K., France and Japan to nonstop ships to support nan Strait of Hormuz unfastened for lipid trade.

He told NBC News: “We’re going to beryllium sweeping nan strait very strongly, and we judge we’ll beryllium joined by different countries who are somewhat impeded, and successful immoderate cases impeded from getting nan oil.”

He said it was “possible” that U.S. ships could commencement escorting ships done nan strait.

In position of really nan warfare would develop, Trump said “the only powerfulness they have, and it’s a powerfulness that tin beryllium closed disconnected comparatively quickly, is nan powerfulness of dropping a excavation aliases shooting a comparatively short-range missile. But erstwhile we get vanished pinch nan shoreline, they’re not going to person that powerfulness either.”

He added: “We’ve knocked retired astir of their missiles. We’ve knocked retired astir of their drones. We knocked retired their manufacturing of missiles and drones, largely. Within 2 days, it’ll beryllium wholly decimated.”

And he said “we wholly demolished Kharg Island, but we whitethorn deed it a fewer much times conscionable for fun.”

It's not nan first clip Trump has suggested nan U.S. subject is utilizing munitions not because it has to, but because it's more “fun” to rustle thing up than not. During a rally successful Kentucky connected Saturday, Trump told nan crowd he'd spoken to a subject serviceman who told him they'd destroyed much than 50 Iranian ships.

Trump said he wanted to cognize why nan ships weren't captured to beryllium utilized by nan U.S.

“I sewage angry astatine my people. I said, are they bully ... I said, Why nan hellhole did we termination them? Why didn’t we conscionable seizure them and usage them successful our Navy? And really 1 of my generals said: ‘Sir, it's a batch much nosy doing it this way,’” nan president told nan crowd.

The U.S.-Israeli warfare successful Iran entered its 3rd week this week, and Trump has yet to supply specifications connected really aliases erstwhile nan warfare will travel to an end.

He has said nan warfare is "very complete" and besides said that nan "nation building" successful Iran is conscionable beginning. Trump told Axios that location was “practically thing near to target” successful Iran, and past connected Sunday called connected nations friends to nan U.S. to thief him free nan Strait of Hormuz from Iran. That petition came aft nan announcement that 2,500 U.S. Marines were being sent to nan region connected an amphibious battle ship.

Thirteen U.S. work members person died arsenic a consequence of nan war, and much than 1,000 Iranians person been killed successful Iran. At slightest 175 of those deaths were children and unit from a schoolhouse that U.S. subject officials judge was destroyed by U.S. bombs, though Trump has suggested without providing grounds that Iran whitethorn person been responsible.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that nan warfare will extremity erstwhile Trump says he's finished.

"The president has group a very circumstantial ngo to accomplish, and our occupation is to unrelentingly present that," Hegseth told reporters astatine a Pentagon property briefing connected Tuesday.

"Now he gets to power nan throttle. He's nan 1 deciding. He's nan 1 elected connected behalf of nan American group erstwhile we're achieving those objectives. And so, it's not for maine to posit whether it's nan beginning, nan mediate aliases nan end. That's his. And he'll proceed to pass that," nan defense caput said.