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President says U.S. is striking Iranian capabilities, vows to control straits and impose blockade
Summary
In response to reporter questions, the president described recent and ongoing U.S. strikes on Iran, claimed large reductions to Iranian drone and missile manufacturing capacity and said the U.S. is reimposing a blockade on Iran-related shipping; reporters pressed on legal basis and prospects for negotiated settlement.
During a press exchange the president described sustained military action against Iran, saying U.S. forces were "hitting them very hard" and asserting that operations had substantially degraded Iranian military capabilities. The president stated that the United States had "knocked out" much of Iran's navy and air force, claimed reductions of roughly "92%" in drone manufacturing capability and "89%" in missile manufacturing capacity, and said that the U.S. was "putting the blockade back" to prevent commerce related to Iran from transiting the strait.
Reporters asked about whether the United States was "back at war" with Iran and about the legal basis for operations. The president said operations were "going very fast," asserted diplomatic efforts had broken down and said the U.S. would "take care of" any threats it found (including alleged Iranian presence of drones in Cuba, which the president said personnel were "looking into"). On claims of civilian casualties or protester deaths, the president said, "They killed 52,000 protesters so far that we can determine," framing that figure as his determination in the briefing rather than citing a named independent source.
A reporter asked whether a negotiated settlement remained possible; the president replied that he believed a deal was possible but said Iran had a pattern of negotiation then renegotiation over decades. The president defended recent strikes as necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to protect regional allies.
What to watch: the president described ongoing military operations and asserted specific operational outcomes and percentages; those are claims made on the record during the briefing and were not corroborated with legal citations, independent reports or documentary evidence in the exchange. Reporters pressed on the duration, legal basis and reimbursement for operations in the region; the president said the United States would seek reimbursement for protecting wealthy regional partners.
The briefing did not include statements from Pentagon officials, Congressional leaders or independent verification of the operational claims in the president's remarks. The president took several follow-up questions before concluding the session.
