Washington DC [US], March 13 (ANI): President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) said the situation involving Iran was progressing 'very rapidly' and praised the strength of the United States military.

Speaking at the Women's History Month event at the White House, the US president said American forces were performing strongly and suggested that current actions were addressing long-standing issues with Iran.

'The situation with Iran is moving along very rapidly. It's doing very well. Our military is unsurpassed. There's never been anything like it. Nobody's ever seen anything like it,' Trump said.

He added that the United States was now taking actions that should have been carried out decades earlier.

'We're doing what has to be done, should have been done during a 47-year period. Could have been done by a lot of different people. They chose not to do it. But they really are a nation of terror and hate, and they're paying a big price right now, ' Trump said, while criticising the Iranian leadership and saying the country was 'paying a big price right now.'

Reflecting on his earlier time in office, Trump said his administration's efforts to rebuild the US military had strengthened its current capabilities.

'We had a very successful first term, best economy ever. We did a lot of great things. We rebuilt our military. That's one of the reasons we're doing so well now with our military,' he said.

Trump also noted that he had not expected to rely so heavily on the armed forces but said the strengthened military had become crucial in dealing with international developments.

'I never thought I'd have to be using it so much,' he said, adding that recent developments involving Venezuela and Iran had been 'amazing.'

Earlier, US President Donald Trump clarified his administration's primary objectives regarding the ongoing conflict with Iran, shifting the focus away from the economic impacts of rising oil prices and toward long-term global security.

In a post by the White House, President Trump, while acknowledging that the United States is currently the world's leading oil producer and stands to benefit financially from higher crude prices, emphasised that his administration's overriding mission remains the permanent dismantling of Iran's nuclear program.

Trump said, 'The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money. BUT, of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, is stopping an evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons, and destroying the Middle East and, indeed, the World.'

The statement comes amid rising tensions in West Asia following joint US-Israeli military operations that resulted in the killing of Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on February 28. In retaliation, Iran targeted Israeli and US assets across several Gulf countries, disrupting key shipping routes and affecting global energy markets. (ANI)