Trump says US can 'knock everything out in two days' in Iran

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington retains the capacity to destroy Iranian infrastructure within a matter of days, insisting he had not underestimated Tehran's military resilience despite nearly two months of continued hostilities between the two sides. Speaking to Fox News following his visit to China, Trump stated that American forces had delivered "unbelievably hard" strikes against Iranian targets while deliberately preserving critical systems. "We left their bridges, we left their electricity capacity," he said, adding that the US could "knock that all out in two days. Everything."

Diplomatic breakdowns

Trump described repeated failures in negotiation efforts with Tehran, characterizing Iranian leaders as unreliable partners who reversed agreed terms within hours of acceptance. "They were going to give us the dust, everything we wanted, and every time they make a deal, they -- the next day it's like we didn't have that conversation," he said, noting that such reversals had occurred approximately five times. "There's something wrong with them, actually they're crazy," he added, suggesting the unpredictable behavior complicates efforts to reach a lasting settlement.

Election timeline

The president also dismissed suggestions that upcoming domestic political considerations would influence military decision-making regarding the conflict. "I'm not going to let the election determine what's going to happen with respect to Iran," Trump said when asked about November's midterm contests, reiterating his longstanding position that Tehran cannot possess a nuclear weapons program. He framed the ultimate resolution as a binary choice between military escalation and diplomatic restraint, stating that he preferred a non-violent outcome.

The US midterm elections are scheduled for November, with campaign season intensifying as the administration navigates ongoing military tensions with Tehran. Diplomatic contacts between the two sides have collapsed on multiple occasions in recent weeks, according to the president's account.