Trump says Iran navy, air force destroyed, Germany ‘helping out’

(Al Jazeera Media Network) US President Donald Trump has said his administration’s war against Iran “successfully knocked out” the country’s air force and navy.

“We’re doing very well,” Trump said on Tuesday, during a news conference at the White House with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz before their meeting.

“They have no navy; it’s been knocked out. They have no air force; it’s been knocked out. They have no air detection – that’s been knocked out,” Trump said.

Trump’s comments came on the fourth day of US-Israeli strikes on Iran as Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz and continued its retaliatory missile and drone attacks on US and allied targets across the Gulf region.

Trump said he had ordered the attack against Iran on Saturday because he “had a feeling” that Iran would strike first as negotiations over its nuclear program stalled.

Asked if Israel might have “forced” his hand on attacking Iran, Trump responded, “No, actually, I might have forced their hand.”

On Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said that the US attacked Iran because it knew Israel was about to bomb that country, and because the Trump administration believed that Iran would then strike US facilities in the region.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/3/trump-says-iran-navy-air-force-destroyed-germany-helping-out