US has 3,554 targets left in Iran, will be done quickly: Trump

Donald Trump said the US has 3,554 targets in Iran for swift military action and claimed 101 missiles were intercepted. Simultaneously, he extended a pause on strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure, citing progress in diplomatic talks.

Trump Warns of Swift Military Action

US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) said another 3,554 targets remain in Iran that will be targeted by the US, stating that the military operations on these will be completed swiftly amid the conflict in the region. Addressing the Future Investment Initiative in Florida, Trump outlined the scale of potential US military action on the Islamic Republic, despite ongoing diplomatic talks to end the conflict. "We have another 3,554 targets left. That'll be done pretty quickly. At some point, we're going to have to determine what we do," Trump said.

Referring to the incident of Iran targeting the US aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, Trump claimed that Tehran launched 101 missiles targeting the US carrier, describing it as "a very valuable thing that we had floating on the water" and added that all incoming missiles were successfully intercepted. "Out of the 101 missiles shot, 101 missiles were shot down and spread out all over the sea," he said.

Trump further asserted that Iranian air defence capabilities had been significantly weakened. "They have no anti-aircraft, so we're just floating over the top looking for whatever we want," he said.

Diplomatic Talks and Shifting Deadlines

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Trump stated that he is extending the pause on strikes targeting Iran's energy infrastructure for an additional 10 days, till April 6, 2026, as part of the ongoing diplomatic talks between the two sides.

In a post on Truth Social, the US President claimed that the announcement comes as per a "request" from the Iranian Government and further stated that the negotiations with Tehran were "going very well". "As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time. Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well," the post read.

On Monday, Trump announced that he had instructed the US Department of War to delay any military action against Iranian power plants and energy sites for five days, citing ongoing diplomatic engagements with Tehran amid escalating tensions in West Asia.

In another post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States and Iran had held "very good and productive conversations" aimed at resolving hostilities in the region and added that the decision to pause strikes was based on the "tenor and tone" of the discussions, which he described as "in-depth, detailed, and constructive".

Prior to his announcement on Monday, Trump on Saturday issued a warning to Tehran, giving it 48 hours to open the strategically significant Strait of Hormuz or face potential strikes on its energy facilities. Trump's latest extension of deadlines -- first moved from Monday to Friday with a five-day reprieve and now pushed back by another 10 days -- underscores the shifting timelines amid evolving developments. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)