President Donald Trump is now claiming the United States has “totally destroyed” Iran’s military after three months of escalating conflict in the region, a sweeping declaration that came even as new missile and drone exchanges were unfolding across the Gulf.
In a preview of an NBC interview, Trump framed the conflict in almost comparative terms, contrasting it with Vietnam.
“I’m moving very fast, I’m into three months,” he said. “Vietnam lasted 19 years, I’m into my third month. We have totally destroyed their military,” he boasted, according to The Independent.
He also claimed to know “exactly” how many missiles Iran has left, but declined to provide a figure.
That confidence is colliding almost immediately with events on the ground.
Within hours of the latest escalation, Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones toward U.S. allies in the Gulf, including Bahrain and Kuwait, according to regional governments and state media reports.
Bahrain said its defenses intercepted incoming missiles and called the attack a “serious escalation,” urging Tehran to immediately halt strikes on neighboring states.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, meanwhile, claimed it had targeted a U.S. airbase in Kuwait and the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, according to Iranian state media.
The U.S. military said it intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles, while at least one reportedly failed to reach its target.
Earlier, U.S. Central Command also reported shooting down Iranian drones heading toward the Strait of Hormuz, saying they “posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic.”
The latest exchange comes amid an already fragile ceasefire environment that appears to be fraying in real time.
Iran’s foreign ministry accused the United States of striking surveillance facilities on Qeshm Island and near Sirik — locations Tehran says are used for border protection and maritime security. It called the strikes a violation of the ceasefire and warned the U.S. would be responsible for the consequences of what it described as “illegal actions.”
On Saturday, Iran reiterated that position, signaling that further retaliation could follow.
