Trump Claims Iran 'Militarily Ineffective' as Saudi Arabia Quietly Backs US Campaign

US President Donald Trump on Monday described Iran as "Militarily ineffective and weak," claiming in a Truth Social post that Tehran was using artificial intelligence as a "disinformation weapon." He alleged that Iran had shared fabricated footage of "phony Kamikaze Boats shooting at various Ships at Sea," saying the vessels "don't exist."

Trump said the US was actively targeting Iran's drone manufacturing facilities. "Iran has very little firepower left. We have decimated their manufacturing capability," he told reporters on Air Force One. The claims stood in contrast to the day's events, in which Iran launched fresh waves of missiles and drones at Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain.

Behind the scenes, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expressed support to Trump for the continuation of military operations against Iran in a phone call, according to a New York Times report. The call came as the Saudi Ministry of Defence publicly announced intercepting approximately 60 Iranian drones heading toward the kingdom's oil-rich eastern region.

Qatar, which has pursued a historically neutral role in regional politics and hosted US military assets at Al Udeid Air Base, arrested 10 people in early March suspected of spying and plotting sabotage for Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps — a sign of the intensifying proxy dimensions of the conflict.

The Islamic Republic's ambassador to the United Nations last week said the death toll in Iran had surpassed 1,300. ACLED has documented nearly 2,000 distinct conflict events across 29 of Iran's 31 provinces. Meanwhile, Iran launched a missile at the US Embassy in Baghdad and struck a US logistical facility near Baghdad International Airport, expanding the geographic footprint of the conflict.