U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday defended the military campaign against Iran, saying the operation had achieved more in five months than initially expected and comparing it to the years-long U.S. wars in Afghanistan, Vietnam and Korea.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Thurmont, Maryland, Trump said the United States had made rapid progress in weakening Iran’s military capabilities.

“We’re in there for five months,” Trump said. “We’ve done a much bigger job, much more important job than we originally anticipated.”

The president contrasted the operation with previous U.S. military engagements, noting that American forces remained in Vietnam for two decades and in Afghanistan and Korea for many years.

“If you look at Vietnam, they were in there for twenty years. You look at Afghanistan, they were in there for many years. You look at any one of the wars — Korea, any one of them — they’re in there for many years,” Trump said.

Trump also claimed the U.S. military had severely degraded Iran’s military capabilities.

“We have obliterated their military capacity. Again, they’ve got some left, but soon they won’t have some left,” he said.

The United States launched its war in Afghanistan in October 2001 following the Sept. 11 attacks. The conflict became America’s longest war, lasting nearly 20 years. U.S. and allied forces withdrew in August 2021, after which the Islamic Emirate regained control of the country. More than 2,400 U.S. soldiers were killed in the war in Afghanistan.

The United States and Israel are considering a possible land blockade of Iran as part of efforts to intensify economic pressure on Tehran, according to The Telegraph.

The proposal is among several options being discussed by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after months of military strikes and pressure campaigns failed to force Iran to change its position.

Sources familiar with the discussions said Trump and Netanyahu talked about increasing pressure on Iran through both military and non-military measures during their meeting at the White House.

Under the proposed plan, Washington and Tel Aviv could seek cooperation from Iran’s neighbouring countries to restrict or close border crossings, limiting the movement of goods into and out of the country.

A senior Israeli official told The Telegraph that blocking Iran’s land routes could be one possible option, arguing that preventing imports and exports would place further strain on the country’s economy.

Retired US Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland said a land blockade would be extremely difficult to implement but could isolate Iran economically if its ability to trade was significantly reduced.

Iran shares land borders with Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Any such measure would require cooperation from several countries, some of which have close ties with Tehran.

Key border crossings, including routes linking Iran with Turkmenistan, could become targets under the plan. However, countries cooperating with the blockade could face economic losses and possible retaliation from Iran.

The proposal comes as Washington seeks new ways to pressure Tehran and potentially bring it back to negotiations. A land blockade would align with Trump’s “maximum pressure” strategy, which has focused on weakening Iran’s economy through sanctions and other measures.

The plan could also affect Iran’s ability to import military equipment, including reported deals with China for air defence systems and other weapons supplies.