Trump Says Iran’s Military ‘Knocked Out’ After Israel Kills Quds Force Commander

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM/TEHRAN (Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald J. Trump said Tuesday that Iran’s military capabilities have been largely neutralized, after Israel confirmed it had killed a senior commander in Iran’s elite Quds Force during ongoing strikes on Tehran.

Speaking at the White House ahead of a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said Iran’s armed forces had been severely degraded.

“They have no navy, that’s been knocked out. They have no air force, that’s been knocked out. They have no air detection, that’s been knocked out. Their radar has been knocked out… Just about everything’s been knocked out,” Trump said. “We’re doing very well. We have a great military.”

ISRAEL TARGETS QUDS FORCE COMMANDER

Earlier, Israel said it had killed Ali Zadeh, described as a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ secretive Quds Force responsible for operations related to Lebanon.

The Israeli military said Zadeh coordinated with Hezbollah — designated as a terrorist organization by Israel and most Western nations — and other Iran-backed proxies. It accused him of helping rebuild Hezbollah’s capabilities.

The Quds Force oversees Iran’s relationships with militant groups across the Middle East and plays a central role in projecting Tehran’s regional influence.

The killing marks one of the most significant Israeli strikes inside Tehran since the conflict escalated.

US EVACUATES CITIZENS

As fighting spreads, the U.S. State Department said it is “actively securing military aircraft and charter flights” to help American citizens leave the Middle East, as commercial options remain limited and some U.S. embassies have suspended operations.

Hundreds of U.S. citizens have already left Israel since the conflict began, and officials said nearly 500 Americans are being assisted with departure arrangements.

The United States has closed three embassies in the region and ordered some diplomatic personnel to evacuate. As of Tuesday, embassies in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Lebanon were shut indefinitely following retaliatory Iranian strikes.

CONFLICT EXPANDS REGIONALLY

The developments come as U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran continue, and Tehran responds with missile and drone attacks across the region.

Trump has framed the campaign as decisive and necessary to eliminate Iranian military threats. At the same time, Israeli officials say their operations aim to dismantle Iran’s military infrastructure and weaken its proxy networks.

With embassies closing, evacuations underway, and senior Iranian commanders targeted in Tehran itself, the confrontation appears to be entering a more volatile phase.

The war erupted Saturday when the United States began attacking Iran and killed the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who had ruled the Islamic Republic for decades.

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