Trump Says Iran Military Effectively Destroyed, Encourages Kurdish Ground Operations in Western Iran

President Trump, speaking to Reuters on Thursday, declared that Iran's military capability has been effectively destroyed — with no navy, no air force, aerial reconnaissance eliminated, and radar systems destroyed. He stated the U.S. wants a role in choosing Iran's future leadership, saying "we don't want to have to go back every five years" for war, and called Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the former Supreme Leader, an "unlikely" choice to lead the country. Trump encouraged Iranian Kurdish opposition groups to launch ground offensives against Islamic Republic forces in western Iran, calling it "fantastic" if they chose to attack, while declining to confirm whether U.S. air cover would be provided. Reuters reported that a Kurdish coalition based in Iraqi Kurdistan is actively coordinating with Washington to plan attacks against Iranian military forces in western Iran, timed with heavy U.S. and Israeli airstrikes.