Trump talks of ‘annihilation’, ‘elimination’ as US, Israel attack Iran

United States President Donald Trump has said the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran are aimed at “eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime”.

“Short time ago, US military began major combat operation in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime,” he said on Saturday.
Trump made a number of other claims and predictions without any concrete evidence, as Iran promised a “crushing” retaliation of its own. Iran is preparing to “take revenge” on Israel and deliver “strong response”, State TV reported.

“We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground.”
“We are going to annihilate their navy. We are going to ensure that the region’s ‘terrorist’ proxies can no longer destabilise the region or the world.”
“We will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. It is a very simple message.”
“They will never have a nuclear weapon. This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States Armed Forces.”
Iran has repeatedly said it would never build a nuclear weapon and that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only. Neither US intelligence, nor the UN nuclear watchdog have found any evidence that Iran was pursuing an atomic weapon, a narrative Israel and some in the Trump administration have nevertheless pushed.

Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher, reporting from Washington, said sources told him that “US involvement in this attack is aimed at “decapitating the Iranian regime”.