America News Agency

Key points from White House Press Secretary Leavitt’s remarks are as follows:

"Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, the rogue Iranian terrorist regime is being crushed. The 47-year tolerance shown to the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism has ended. Iran’s terrorist leaders are paying the price for their crimes against America.

Since 1979, the Iranian regime has facilitated the killing of Americans. They chant ‘Death to America’ and fund radical terrorists who attack our country. They seized our embassy in Tehran and took 66 Americans hostage. In Beirut, a truck bomb killed 241 U.S. service members. In Iraq, they killed or maimed hundreds of American soldiers. This is only a small part of their bloody record.

Previous leaders did not confront this threat strongly enough. Some, like Barack Hussein Obama, sent cash and signed deals that put Iran on the path to developing a nuclear bomb.

After years of appeasement, President Trump took action. President Trump is holding this regime accountable and eliminating its nuclear objectives. Future generations will remember this moment as the end of the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

In Operation Epic Fury, launched last week, President Trump clearly laid out the objectives.

First, destroy the Iranian regime’s ballistic missiles and completely eliminate its missile industry.
Second, destroy Iran’s navy. More than 20 Iranian vessels, including its most important submarines, have been destroyed so far. There are no Iranian ships operating in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, or the Gulf of Oman.
Third, eliminate the attack capability of the regime’s proxy forces in the region.
Fourth, ensure Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon.

So far, Operation Epic Fury has been a major success. U.S. forces have struck more than 2,000 targets and destroyed hundreds of ballistic missiles, launch systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Full dominance of Iran’s airspace is expected to be achieved soon.

Last June, Operation Midnight Hammer destroyed three major Iranian nuclear facilities. Despite that, the Iranian regime sought to rebuild its nuclear program.

President Trump sent two senior negotiators to talks to reach a deal. The U.S. offered sanctions relief, free fuel for a civilian nuclear energy program, and joint investment opportunities. In return, Iran had to fully abandon uranium enrichment. But Iran rejected these offers.

This clearly showed that the Iranian leadership’s priority is developing nuclear weapons. President Trump assessed that this would lead to massive destruction by a nuclear-armed terrorist regime.

Operation Epic Fury was launched to end this threat and ensure America’s security. Iran’s leadership thought President Trump would act like previous leaders; that proved to be a miscalculation.

Forty-nine of the Iranian regime’s top leaders, including the supreme religious leader, have been eliminated.

We extend our condolences to the families of the six U.S. service members who lost their lives during Operation Epic Fury. These heroes gave their lives defending our country, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Since the operation began, more than 17,500 Americans have safely returned home from the Middle East. More than 8,500 reached the United States yesterday alone.

American citizens in the Middle East who want to return to the U.S. are asked to register via step.state.gov. The administration is organizing free charter flights and arranging commercial flight options.

The Trump administration will not stop until every American returns home safely and the threat from Iran is fully eliminated."