US President Donald Trump on Saturday dismissed threats from senior Iranian leader Ali Larijani during a telephone interview with CBS News, as tensions continue following US-Israel strikes on Iran.
Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, had earlier posted on social media that Trump must "pay the price" for the military action. Responding to the remark, Donald Trump said he was unconcerned about the warning.
"I have no idea what he's talking about, who he is. I couldn't care less," Trump told CBS News. He added that Larijani had "already been defeated."
Larijani has emerged as one of Iran's most prominent leaders after the reported killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28, the first day of the war.
Donald Trump defends military campaign
During the interview with CBS News, President Trump also defended the ongoing US military campaign against Iran. He said the strikes had significantly weakened the country's military capabilities and that operations would continue until Iran agrees to what he described as "unconditional surrender".
"It's been incredible, the job we've done. The missiles are blow to smithereens," Trump said. "They're down to very few. The drones are blown. The factories are being blown up as we speak".
He also claimed major damage had been inflicted on Iran's armed forces, as reported by CBS. "The navy is gone, it's at the bottom of the sea. Forty-two ships, 42, in six days, 42 ships. The navy is gone. The air force is gone. Every single element of their military is gone. Their leadership is gone. There's not a thing that's not gone," he said.
According to the United States Central Command, at least 43 Iranian ships have been damaged or destroyed, and more than 3,000 targets have been struck since the start of the conflict.
"We're winning at levels never seen before and quickly," Trump added.
Iran's response and regional tensions
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian released a video message addressing tensions in the region. In the video, he apologised to neighbouring countries for Iran's retaliatory strikes against Israel and US bases in the Middle East and said attacks on other Persian Gulf states would stop unless Iran was attacked first.
However, Pezeshkian later issued another social media statement without an apology. "We have not attacked our friendly and neighboring countries. Rather, we have targeted US military bases, facilities, and installations in the region," he wrote.
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Officials say an interim three-member council, including Pezeshkian, is now playing a key role in Iran's governance amid the ongoing conflict.
Donald Trump also criticised the response of some US allies. Referring to reports that the United Kingdom had prepared aircraft carriers for possible deployment, he said the move came too late, CBS said.
"It’s a little bit late to be sending ships, right? A little bit late," President Trump said, referring to the government of Keir Starmer.
