"We could take out [Iran's] things within the next hour, we could hang up [this telephone interview] and within one hour you'd be reading about [the U.S. military] taking out [Iranian] nuclear power plants or power plants that create the electricity, that create the water -- they have desalinization all over the place. We could do things that would be so bad they [the Iranian leadership] could literally never rebuild as a nation again."
"We're not doing it. Now they'll [the Iranians] go around and shoot civilians all over the place, but we don't do that. But we could take out elements of what they have in terms of infrastructure. They would virtually never be able, time wouldn't matter, never be able to reproduce it, and so far, we've chosen not to do that."
"You [Trump] mentioned the other day that you believe you know where the sleeper cells are, these Iranian sleeper cells. If you know where they are, can we start going offensively after them legally?"
During a Fox News interview, President Trump discussed U.S. military capabilities regarding Iran, emphasizing that while the U.S. could destroy Iranian nuclear and power infrastructure with lasting consequences, it has deliberately chosen not to pursue such actions. Trump contrasted this restraint with concerns about Iranian conduct, noting that Iran targets civilians while the U.S. maintains ethical standards. The interview covered multiple subjects including the presence of Iranian nationals in the U.S., with Trump referencing approximately 1,700 individuals admitted under the previous administration and concerns about potential Iranian sleeper cells operating domestically. Trump suggested awareness of these cells' locations and discussed potential legal offensive measures against them.
#iran-military-capabilities #us-foreign-policy-restraint #iranian-sleeper-cells #national-security #trump-administration
Read at The Cipher Brief
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