Trump says US military could hit all Iran targets within 2 weeks

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday the American military could finish striking all targets in Iran within two weeks and declared Iran "militarily defeated," in an interview with independent journalist Sharyl Attkisson, according to The Korea Times.

The remarks come as Iran responds to the latest American proposals to end a conflict that began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes, and signal Washington's confidence in its military leverage heading into any negotiations.

Trump told Attkisson in the interview, which was recorded last week and aired Sunday, that U.S. forces have already struck roughly 70 percent of planned targets. "We have certain targets that we wanted, and we've done probably 70 percent of them, but we have other targets that we could conceivably hit," Trump said, according to The Korea Times.

Trump said the U.S. could "go in for two more weeks and do every single target," and suggested even forgoing that would leave little unfinished. "But even if we didn't do that, you know, that would just be final touches," he said.

Despite calling Iran's military beaten, Trump acknowledged the situation is not fully resolved. "They're militarily defeated. In their own minds, maybe they don't know that. But I think they do," he said, adding: "That doesn't mean they're done."

Trump also turned criticism toward NATO during the interview. The alliance "has proven to be a paper tiger. They weren't there to help," Trump said, according to The Korea Times.

Iran has been responding to the latest U.S. proposals on ending the conflict, which opened Feb. 28 when American and Israeli forces launched strikes against the country.

The conflict between the United States and Iran has stretched more than two months since joint American-Israeli strikes opened hostilities on Feb. 28.