Iran’s acting defence minister: The U.S. is hiding the problems the war has caused it

Iran’s acting defence minister, Majid ibn Reza, has accused the Trump administration of trying to hide the problems the war has caused Washington itself, as Al Jazeera reports in its live blog on the war.

In a post on X, also shared by the state broadcaster IRIB, Reza wrote that U.S. claims about destroying Iran’s military capacities “change nothing.”

“Do not hide the confusion in the White House with imaginary war games; public opinion pressure, troop fatigue and the rising costs of the war have thrown your calculations into chaos,” he wrote in Persian.

“You will see Iran’s capacity and initiative on the ground, and you will taste its political impact,” he added, in an open warning to Washington.

The statement comes after a wave of statements by Trump, who claimed that Iran’s navy, air force and air defence have been “wiped out” and that the U.S. has “almost total control” of the Strait of Hormuz. The rhetoric of both sides has hardened significantly in recent days, as indirect talks on reopening the strait have stalled and the U.S. is reinforcing its naval presence in the region.