WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he had ordered the U.S. military to attack Iran to thwart Tehran's nuclear development and a ballistic missile program that he said was growing rapidly.
Trump said U.S. military operations that he set in motion on Friday were ahead of schedule, without providing details. He said he had projected the U.S. campaign would last four to five weeks, but that it could go longer.
He said a central premise of the fight was to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, which Tehran denied doing, and thwart its long-range ballistic missile program.
Trump, at an event in the White House East Room, offered his most extensive comments about the war beyond two video messages and a series of brief phone interviews with reporters over the weekend that offered sometimes conflicting objectives in the conflict.
Trump said U.S. forces had knocked out 10 Iranian ships and he expressed confidence about how the campaign was going.
