The key facts

  • Trump called bridges Iran's main vulnerability due to the country's mountainous terrain and estimated their reconstruction at 10–15 years
  • Earlier he spoke of 38 bridges as potential targets that the military could destroy within an hour
  • Trump again stated that the US has «won» and that it remains to decide when to end the conflict

Statement before departing Florida

US President Donald Trump told reporters before flying from Florida to Washington that the American military is capable of destroying Iran's bridges and power plants, but he does not want to give such an order. «Of course, I could go in there right now and blow them up. The problem is that it would be impossible to rebuild them,» — Life.ru quotes him as saying.

Why bridges and power plants in particular

In Trump's assessment, destroying bridges would inflict the greatest damage on Iran: due to the country's mountainous terrain, they play a key role in transport links between regions, and rebuilding them would take 10 to 15 years. He named power plants as the second most difficult to restore, emphasizing that destroying energy facilities would create enormous problems for the population. «This places a terribly heavy burden on the shoulders of the people. I don't like it,» Life.ru quotes him.

Context of earlier statements

Earlier, the same outlet reported that Trump had named 38 bridges in Iran as potential targets for American strikes and claimed that the military could destroy them in just an hour, while at the same time preferring to avoid large-scale destruction of infrastructure. The new statement in fact continues the same line: the target and the capability to strike have been identified, but the decision to destroy has not been made.

On ending the conflict

Trump again stated that the United States has already won the confrontation with Iran and that Washington only needs to decide when to end the conflict. He suggested that the administration might hold off on a final decision, since some countries neighboring Iran would prefer the current situation to continue. The publication does not specify which countries are meant or what exactly their position is.