We have decimated Iran’s Military — their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone and their leaders, at virtually every level, are gone.
Evidence and Verdict
For
President Trump publicly and repeatedly asserted that Iran's navy, air force, air defenses, radar, telecommunications and leadership were "gone" or "decimated" (CNN transcript). Multiple news outlets and U.S. officials reported that U.S. strikes hit Iranian naval and military sites, and satellite imagery published by the BBC and AP shows damage to Iranian naval vessels and military infrastructure. U.S. officials described substantial, targeted strikes on Iranian military and nuclear-related sites, and some commentators and officials characterized the naval damage as severe.
Against
BBC and AP satellite-image reporting shows damage to some ships and sites but does not provide evidence that Iran's entire navy, air force, air defenses, radar network and leadership at virtually every level were completely destroyed. AP coverage documents continuing Iranian missile/drone activity after initial strikes (including reports of Iranian missiles hitting Israel), indicating that some offensive capabilities remained. Fact-checking outlets such as PolitiFact documented the repeated U.S. claims of total destruction, indicating those absolute assertions have been questioned and portrayed as exaggerated.
Verdict
The claim mixes confirmed strike damage and U.S. statements with absolute assertions of total elimination. Reporting and imagery show significant hits to naval and military targets, but the available sources do not support the blanket statement that every listed Iranian capability and leadership layer has been completely destroyed, so the claim is partly true about damage but overstated as total annihilation.
Sources
Trump Speaks As U.S. Launches New Strikes On Iran; Oil ...
Trump Speaks As U.S. Launches New Strikes On Iran; Oil ... - Mar 18, 2026
leadership. It's all gone. So, you know, you could look at that statement. We could call it a tremendous success right now as we leave here, I could call it, or we could go further and we're goin...
Open source'Every military target' on Iran's key oil island 'totally ...
'Every military target' on Iran's key oil island 'totally ... - Mar 18, 2026
"But it's not just that Iran doesn't have a functioning air force, or their entire navy is at the bottom of the Persian gulf, or their missile force is shrinking daily, even more importantly, they...
Open sourceSatellite images show Iranian navy and nuclear sites hit by ...
Satellite images show Iranian navy and nuclear sites hit by ... - Mar 18, 2026
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US was "annihilating" the Iranian navy, listing the force's destruction as one of America's three main goals. His Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth co...
Open sourceSatellite images begin to show damage wrought by Iran war
Satellite images begin to show damage wrought by Iran war - Mar 18, 2026
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