Trump: Nine Iranian ships destroyed; Iran wants to talk

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

Nine Iranian ships have been “destroyed and sunk” by U.S. forces as part of Operation Epic Fury, according to President Donald Trump.

The president’s announcement comes as the joint coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes enter their second day.

“I have just been informed that we have destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships, some of them relatively large and important. We are going after the rest — They will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also! In a different attack, we largely destroyed their Naval Headquarters. Other than that, their Navy is doing very well!” Trump wrote in the Truth Social post.

In addition, U.S. Central Command said that American B-2 stealth bombers “armed with 2,000 lb. bombs, struck Iran’s hardened ballistic missile facilities.”

The targeting of Iranian military assets comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli forces were “striking at the heart of Tehran with intensifying force, and this will only grow stronger in the coming days.”

Trump issued a message to Iran overnight, warning the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps not to escalate the situation further.

“Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!” Trump posted to his Truth Social account.

CENTCOM announced Sunday morning that U.S. forces sustained their first casualties, with three service members killed in action as a result of the strikes. Five have been seriously injured.

Trump told The Atlantic in an interview Sunday morning that Iranian officials want to talk.

“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long,” the president told the publication.

It is unclear with whom officials Trump would be speaking following confirmation from the president and Israeli officials that nearly 50 of Iran’s top leadership have been eliminated, including their Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.