Trump Says Iran’s Power “Surprised Everyone” as Dispute Emerges Over Intelligence Warnings
U.S. President Donald Trump has described Iran as a nation with “enormous power,” saying recent attacks across the Gulf region shocked Washington and its allies. Speaking at the White House, Trump said no one expected Iran to launch strikes against multiple countries in the Persian Gulf, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
Trump argued that Iran had previously possessed thousands of missiles and drones but claimed that most of those capabilities had already been destroyed during ongoing military operations. According to him, only a small portion of Iran’s arsenal remains operational after sustained strikes on weapons factories and military infrastructure.
However, the remarks have triggered controversy inside Washington. U.S. officials and security sources say intelligence agencies had already warned that any direct attack on Iran could trigger retaliation against American allies in the region. They also reportedly cautioned that Tehran might move to control or disrupt the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes.
Despite those assessments, reports indicate that no large-scale evacuation of U.S. diplomatic personnel from high-risk areas was ordered before the strikes began. When pressed by reporters in the Oval Office, Trump insisted that he had not been warned and said that even top experts could not have predicted Iran would respond so aggressively.