Israel
Trump says Iran has fewer missiles and crippled drone output after strikes
By Jewish Life Staff, . Jewish Life.
President Donald Trump told supporters at a rally in Ohio this week that strikes on Iran had left the country with fewer missiles and struggling drone production, while his administration pressed what it called the most aggressive economic isolation campaign ever mounted against a single country.
What Trump said about Iran's military capacity
Trump told the Ohio crowd that Iran's missile supply had been cut and that electricity shortages were now hampering its ability to manufacture drones. "Their missiles are still there, but much less," he said, according to JNS. "Their drones that they make, they're having a hard time because they can't get electricity any more."
Trump also repeated his pledge that Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon, and called the country "the world's number one sponsor of terror," accusing the regime of killing and wounding thousands of Americans.
The economic pressure campaign
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking to CNBC, said Iran could not pay its troops or access dollars, and that funding to its proxy forces, including the Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah, was being cut off. "They're not able to pay their troops. Importantly, they're not able to get dollars," Bessent said. "So they're not able to replenish."
Bessent said internal U.S. estimates put the potential contraction of Iran's economy at as much as 25 percent between March 2026 and March 2027. He described the effort, which he called "Operation Economic Outcast," as "the toughest operation ever to isolate a single economy in the history of the world," the report said.
What comes next, and who decides
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, appearing on Newsmax's "Wake Up America," said the question of further military action rested with two people. "There are only two people on the planet who actually know if something is going to happen and if so, when," he said. "And that's President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu right now."
Asked whether political uncertainty inside Israel could delay any potential operation, Huckabee said both leaders would act on their countries' interests. "There could be something with Iran. We simply don't know," he added.
The report did not include any response from Iran to Trump's or Bessent's claims, and the situation was still developing at the time of publication.
Source: https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/trump-says-irans-missile-arsenal-reduced-drone-production-hampered