President Donald Trump stated that Iran will take "several years" to recover from the attack launched by the United States, describing to Axios his options to bring an end to the military offensive named Operation Epic Fury.
"In any case, it will take them several years to recover from this attack," Trump stated in a brief phone interview conducted from Mar-a-Lago.
In that same conversation, the president said he is considering "various exit ramps": from expanding the operation "and taking charge of everything," to wrapping it up in two or three days and returning later with new ultimatums regarding the reconstruction of Iran's nuclear and missile programs.
Axios points out that these statements provide "the first real glimpse" into Trump's thinking on how the operation could end, and suggest that the president may still be open to a diplomatic exit, even after nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran collapsed in Geneva, according to the text.
The report also emphasizes that a swift closure of the campaign followed by new ultimatums would represent a different outcome from the regime change that—according to Axios—some U.S. and Israeli officials have described as the goal.
Why does Trump say he ordered the attack?
Trump explained to Axios two main reasons for launching the offensive. The first was the failure of recent negotiations led by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, stating that the Iranians "came close and then backed off" repeatedly, which led him to conclude that "they really do not want an agreement."
The second reason, he said, was Iran's behavior over "the last few decades." Trump claimed that he instructed his team to gather attacks linked to Iran around the world over the past 25 years and concluded that "every month they did something wrong," according to the article's quote.
According to the text, the United States and Israel would have launched their "most ambitious" military operation in the Middle East in a generation, aimed not only at degrading Iranian military capabilities but also at creating conditions that could overthrow the regime.
The operational plan, adds Axios citing a senior U.S. official, anticipates that the massive bombing campaign will last at least five days, although that timeline could change depending on developments on the ground.
Axios outlines that the evolution of the operation would also depend on the fate of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who Israel —according to the text— allegedly aimed to assassinate along with other high-ranking officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday afternoon that there are "increasing indications" that Khamenei was killed following an Israeli attack on his compound, according to the report.
Trump, for his part, stated that he spoke with Netanyahu following the start of the joint operation: "I had a very interesting conversation with Bibi; we're on the same wavelength," he said, according to Axios.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump also spoke with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
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