President Donald Trump signaled his intention to continue military strikes against Iran for the foreseeable future.
In a six-minute video posted on his social media platform Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump declared that "combat operations are continuing at full force" and pledged to "continue attacking Iran until all our objectives are achieved."
Referencing three U.S. service members killed during the operations, Trump warned that "unfortunately, there will be more casualties before this is over." He added that "America will avenge their deaths and deliver the harshest blow to the terrorists."
This marks Trump's second video address since strikes began, following an earlier post at approximately 2:30 a.m. the previous day.
Trump cited the elimination of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and other leadership figures, along with the complete destruction of nine Iranian naval vessels and the navy headquarters. "The entire military command structure is gone, and many of them want to surrender to save their lives," he said.
The president called on Iranian military and police forces to lay down their weapons and surrender. He also urged Iranian citizens to "rise up bravely, boldly, and heroically to take back your country."