Trump: “This was our last, best chance to strike”

President Trump on Monday laid out his rationale for striking Iran and said the operations could last four to five weeks, though he was prepared to go “far longer.”

“This was our last, best chance to strike — what we’re doing right now — and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime,” he said at a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House, marking his first public comments since the operation began early Saturday morning.

The president outlined four objectives: destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, “annihilating” its navy, preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and ensuring the Iranian regime cannot continue to “arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders.”

“We thought we had a deal but then they backed out,” he said of the diplomatic efforts that preceded the strikes. “I said you can’t deal with these people. You’ve got to do it the right way.”

President Trump said the operation could last “four to five weeks” but that he was prepared “to go far longer.”

“We are already substantially ahead of our time projections, but whatever the time is, it’s okay. Whatever it takes,” he said. “I don’t get bored. There’s nothing boring about this.”