Trump's assessment: "Iran is a paper tiger and we don't know if Mojtaba Khamenei is alive or dead"

"I am very surprised" that the United Kingdom does not want to participate in the war against Iran. This was stated by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, speaking at the White House and reiterating accusations against several allies for refusing to take part in military operations against the Islamic Republic.

"I said: you don't want to do it? We have been with you. We are your oldest ally and we spend a lot of money on NATO and all these things to protect you," he added.

From the podium of the White House, Trump downplayed the threat from Tehran, calling Iran a "paper tiger". "What we are dealing with now is a paper tiger," he stated, clarifying, however, that "it was not a paper tiger two weeks ago."

The president reviewed the ongoing operations, claiming that U.S. forces had struck "over 7,000 targets", mostly military infrastructure and strategic sites. He then spoke of a "90% reduction in ballistic missile launches and a 95% reduction in drone attacks", indicating a marked weakening of Iranian operational capabilities.

"We have attacked the facilities where missiles and drones are produced, and operations continue," he said, adding that numerous naval units would have been destroyed or sunk along with other capabilities deemed crucial for the military apparatus of Tehran.

Trump explained that he had asked other countries to provide their contribution in the Strait of Hormuz "not because we need them, but because I want to see how they react." He then reiterated a criticism he had made in the past: the United States "always protects other countries" without receiving similar support when needed. "I have always thought this was a weakness of NATO, our job was to protect them," he stated. "But I have always said that when we need help, they will not protect us," he added, specifying, however, that "this is not a need."

"We have built the largest army in the world and we protect people," he continued. "If we needed their minesweepers or anything else, any means they might have due to a situation they are in, they should come right away to help us because we have helped them for years."

When asked which countries will support the United States' efforts in Iran, Trump announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make an announcement soon, adding that some states are close to the area and others are farther away. "We don't know if he is alive or dead," the American president began regarding the new Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei. "I'll say this, no one has seen him and that fact is unusual," he noted. "We don't know who their leader is. There are people who want to negotiate. We have no idea who they are," he added.

Regarding the risk of mines in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump stated: "We don't know" if Iran has actually laid them, but if they did, it would be "a form of suicide" on the part of Tehran. As for the possible role of Paris in ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait, the president responded: "I think they will help," confirming that he had a phone conversation with Emmanuel Macron. "On a scale from 0 to 10, he was an 8. Not perfection, but it's France, we don't expect perfection," he concluded.