Donald Trump Claims Iran Has Been Brought 'Back to the Stone Ages' After US Strikes

US President Donald Trump has said Gulf nations should compensate the United States for protecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while claiming recent American military operations have dramatically weakened Iran's military capabilities. Speaking at the White House and later in a television interview, Trump asserted that Tehran's naval, air and weapons infrastructure had suffered extensive damage.

Trump Calls for Gulf Nations to Fund Hormuz Security

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday (local time), Trump argued that the United States should be reimbursed for ensuring the security of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most strategically important shipping lanes.

While he did not elaborate on how such payments would be structured, Trump maintained that Washington's role in safeguarding the region warranted financial compensation from Gulf countries that benefit from secure energy exports and maritime trade.

Trump Claims Iran's Military Has Been Severely Weakened

Later, during an interview with Newsmax, Trump said recent US military strikes had significantly reduced Iran's military capabilities.

"Their power has been largely taken away."

Claiming that much of Iran's naval fleet had been destroyed, Trump said:

"Now, they have something left, but it's been largely taken away. As an example, their military had 159 ships. One hundred and fifty-nine ships are under the sea."

He further asserted that Iran had lost most of its air power, air defence systems and weapons production capability.

"They had 200 airplanes; their airplanes are all gone. Their radars are gone, their anti-aircraft is gone, their weapon-making capability is largely gone, about 84 per cent and, you know, it's largely gone."

'Iran Was the Bully of the Middle East'

Trump argued that sustained US military operations had fundamentally altered Iran's military strength compared to just a few months ago. "So, they are a much different country than they were four months ago."

He added: "In four months, we've brought them back to the Stone Ages, to a large extent."

While acknowledging that Iran still retains some military capability, Trump insisted it had been significantly diminished.

"With that being said, they've got some missiles, and they've got a little capability, but they've been largely brought back into a different period of time,” he added.

Reiterating his administration's stance toward Tehran, Trump concluded: "Iran was the bully of the Middle East, and they weren't going to be bullying me."

(With inputs from ANI)