US President Donald Trump has stated that Iran has lost most of its missile and drone production capacity, retaining only a fraction of its former arsenal. In an interview with NBC News set to air on Sunday, excerpts released on Friday reveal Trump's assessment of Iran's military capabilities following US strikes.
Trump's Assessment of Iran's Military Capacity
"Most of the drone factories have been knocked out, most of the launching pads have been knocked out, and most of the missile manufacturing areas have been knocked out," Trump said. He added, "They still have capacity. They have some missiles, they have some drones. I would say percentage-wise, maybe 21-22% of their missiles, it's a lot of missiles, but it's not what it was when we first attacked."
Iran's Reluctance to Negotiate
When asked why Iran has not agreed to a deal to permanently end the war that began on February 28, Trump attributed it to Iranian pride. "They're proud, and there are things they never thought they'd be doing that they're going to have to do. They've got no choice, and it takes a little while," he said.
Pressed on why he failed to negotiate a better deal after withdrawing from the original Iran nuclear agreement during his first term, Trump responded, "It takes years to do these things. These people have been fighting for 47 years."
The interview also touched on other topics, but Trump's comments on Iran's diminished military capabilities have drawn significant attention. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has ordered a crackdown on artificial flour price hikes to protect consumers from exploitation.
