Trump: US would strike Iran again despite Gulf retaliation

US President Donald Trump declared Monday that foreknowledge of Iranian retaliatory strikes against Gulf partners would not have deterred Washington from launching its military offensive against Tehran. Addressing the White House event, Trump dismissed suggestions that the consequences for regional allies should have influenced the decision-making process regarding the campaign that began Feb. 28.

Gulf nations caught in crossfire

Trump acknowledged that several Gulf states have experienced Iranian attacks in response to the American-Israeli operation. "Saudi Arabia, all of a sudden, Kuwait. Kuwait is getting hit. Bahrain is getting... All these countries are getting hit," the president stated, noting that regional experts had not anticipated such a widespread retaliatory campaign. Despite this unforeseen development, Trump maintained the military action was unavoidable. "It's not a question of like, 'Gee, should you have known?' And if we did know, big deal. I mean, we have to do what we have to do," he emphasized.

Claims of significant Iranian losses

The American leader also offered an assessment of the military impact on Iranian forces, boasting about the operation's effectiveness. "We hit them so hard, like nobody's ever been hit," Trump declared, claiming Washington had destroyed "most of their missiles" and "extinguished most of their drones." These assertions come as the conflict continues to affect regional stability and global energy markets through the strategic waterway of the Strait of Hormuz.

Regional security implications

The widening confrontation has drawn in multiple Gulf Cooperation Council members, with countries hosting American military installations finding themselves in proximity to the exchange of fire. Tehran maintains its strikes target US assets in the region, while Washington continues to frame its campaign as necessary for preventing nuclear proliferation, despite Iranian denials of pursuing atomic weapons.