US President Donald Trump has significantly toughened his rhetoric towards Iran, suggesting he is not interested in negotiations to end the conflict and not ruling out the possibility that the war will end only after the complete destruction of Iran's military capabilities and the elimination of its leadership. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump said the ongoing air campaign could make any negotiations meaningless if Iran's top leaders are eliminated in military operations.

“At some point, there may not be a single leader alive to say ‘we surrender,’” the US president declared, in one of the harshest comments yet on the conflict. Trump also spoke about the effects of military operations against Iran, claiming that US forces have severely damaged Tehran’s military capabilities. “We have neutralized 44 warships of their navy. We have destroyed their air force, every aircraft. We have destroyed most of their missiles. The missiles are barely being launched anymore. We have also hit the factories where the missiles are made very hard,” he said.

On Iran, US President Donald Trump says, "We've wiped out their 44 Navy ships. We've wiped out their Air Force, every plane. We've wiped out most of their missiles. The missiles aren't coming much anymore. We've also hit their manufacturing areas where they make the missiles very… pic.twitter.com/ZXKnCsgt0k

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According to Trump, Iran's ability to use drones has also been significantly reduced, while the Iranian military is "almost non-existent." However, the US president added that an even stronger strike on the Iranian military remains an open option. "We could hit the military itself very hard, but maybe we will, maybe we won't. We haven't made that decision yet," he said. Trump's statements are expected to further increase tensions in the Middle East and increase fears of a broader escalation of the conflict between the United States and Iran.