Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Mar 2: Donald Trump on Sunday expressed optimism over the progress of the ongoing U.S. military operation against Iran, describing developments as “ahead of schedule” amid escalating hostilities in the region.

The United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran over the weekend, prompting swift retaliation from Tehran. According to reports, three American service members have been killed and five others seriously injured in the conflict.

In an interview with Fox News’ Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich, Trump said the joint strikes had “wiped out” at least 48 Iranian leaders. He claimed that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was among those killed.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump further stated that the U.S. had sunk nine Iranian ships and intended to target the remainder of the fleet. He added that Iran’s naval headquarters had been destroyed. “Other than that, their Navy is doing very well!” he wrote.

The president did not address the deaths of the American service members in his social media post and has not made any on-camera remarks since his overnight video announcing the strikes.

In a separate phone interview with CNBC, Trump said that while the timeline for ending the conflict would depend on multiple factors, “everything is ahead of schedule.” He described the situation as evolving “in a very positive way.”

Speaking to The Atlantic on Sunday morning, Trump said Iranian officials “want to talk” and indicated that he had agreed to engage in discussions. “They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long,” he was quoted as saying.

The situation remains fluid as military operations and diplomatic signals unfold simultaneously.