Fact Check: Is Trump's claim US has 'destroyed 100% of Iran’s military capability' true?

WASHINGTON, DC: The US-Iran war is into its third week, and the US officials have claimed widespread damage to Iran’s military. President Donald Trump has also made similar claims in the recent past.

The POTUS took to Truth Social on March 13 and posted that the US has "already destroyed 100% of Iran’s military capability". But how true is Trump's claim? Let us find out below,

Claim: Trump says US has 'destroyed 100% of Iran’s military capability'

Trump wrote in the Truth Social post, "Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe."

He then added, "We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are." 

"Hopefully, China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated," Trump further mentioned.

Similarly, he made a similar claim in a March 14 post where he wrote, "The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!" 

Meanwhile, during an interaction with reporters on March 15, the POTUS said, "Militarily, we've, as far as I'm concerned, we've essentially defeated Iran. Uh, I guess they can have a little bit of fight back, but not much."

Fact Check: False, Iran continues to strike

The claim made by Donald Trump that the US has "already destroyed 100% of Iran’s military capability" is not true. The US and Israeli strikes have inflicted substantial damage on Iran's military infrastructure, reducing certain capabilities by 90-95% in some areas.

However, Iran retains operational forces and continues to conduct attacks, directly contradicting Trump's notion of 100% destruction.

US officials reported striking over 7,000 targets, sinking more than 100 Iranian naval vessels, and degrading Iran's ballistic missile and drone programs. 

Moreover, a White House spokesperson told PolitiFact that Ballistic missile attacks from Iran have declined by about 90%, drone attacks by 95%, and air defenses have been heavily dismantled, allowing US-Israeli air dominance. 

Israel's officials suggested that 160-190 missile launchers have been destroyed or disabled, with around 150 still active.

However, despite these setbacks, Iran continues to launch drones and missiles, such as a drone strike on March 16 near Dubai that disrupted flights.

To sum up, Trump's claim exaggerates the extent of damage. Iran's military is severely degraded but far from completely 100% destroyed, as proved by the stats.