President Donald Trump declared that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been stripped of nearly all its fighting power, telling FOX Business in an exclusive interview that IRGC weapons capabilities are "down 91%" as the United States continues strikes against the regime.
Trump made the remarks ahead of the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, his first public appearance outside the White House since the NATO summit amid reported threats to his life from Tehran.
The interview, conducted by FOX Business correspondent Edward Lawrence, covered the military campaign against Iran, a sweeping defense-industry buildup, trade policy, oil prices, and interest rates. Trump arrived at the Army War College's Field Landing Zone alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and moved quickly to frame the conflict as a success already in progress.
Trump's assessment of Iran's military losses was blunt and specific. In his interview with FOX Business, the president laid out what he described as a comprehensive degradation of the IRGC's war-fighting capacity:
"Well, we're going to be in good shape. They've been depleted. Their weapons are down 91%. The drone capacity is way down. They still have, but not a lot. Their manufacturing capacity is down. Their rocket launchers and their missile launchers are way down. Their missiles are way down."
The president did not specify whether the 91% figure came from a formal U.S. military or intelligence assessment, or whether it reflected his own characterization. No independent verification of the number appeared in the interview. But the claim tracks with a broader pattern of escalating American military pressure on Iran that has unfolded over recent months.
Trump told Fox News in a separate interview that U.S. military objectives against Iran, including preventing a nuclear weapon, keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, and degrading Iran's military, are essentially "completed." As Breitbart reported, Trump estimated it would take Iran 20 years to rebuild what it has lost.
"I think they're completed now, honestly. If we left right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild what they have."
He added that strikes would continue at his discretion: "They'll continue until I say that's enough."
The escalation has followed a volatile path. The U.S. struck Iranian targets after a drone attack on a cargo ship shattered an earlier ceasefire in the Strait of Hormuz, and the military campaign has intensified since.
At the summit, Trump drew a direct parallel between the current campaign and his first-term effort against ISIS, suggesting the IRGC could meet the same fate. The Washington Examiner reported that Trump said he is open to ordering the military to wipe out the Revolutionary Guard entirely, comparing it to the destruction of the Islamic State's territorial caliphate.
The Examiner noted the U.S. has restarted its most consistent bombing campaign against Iran since a ceasefire was announced on April 7 and that the Navy reimposed a military blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump also referenced a call from Iranian officials expressing interest in talks. "We will see what's happening. We received a call just as I was coming here that they want to meet. They always want to meet," he said.
That pattern, strikes followed by diplomatic feelers, has defined the conflict's rhythm. Trump previously ordered the military to postpone planned strikes on Iranian power plants for five days after what he described as "productive" talks. But a deal that was reportedly close fell apart when Iran broke off negotiations at the last moment.
Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed days after signing a previous ceasefire deal, a move that undercut any remaining diplomatic goodwill and triggered the renewed American military response.
Beyond the battlefield, Trump used the Carlisle summit to announce $10 billion in new private investment in the U.S. defense industry, part of what he described as a broader effort to rebuild American military readiness after years of depleted stockpiles.
Trump invoked the Defense Production Act as the mechanism driving the buildup and described a manufacturing expansion that goes well beyond overtime at existing facilities.
"We have four or five, six plants by each of the major companies being built, brand-new plants in different areas to make, as an example, you could say the Patriot [missile], which is so heavily sought, or the Tomahawk missile."
The president framed the current production timeline as unacceptable. He said the military now waits "a year to get something or a year-and-a-half or two years" for critical weapons systems, and pledged to compress that to "a week or maybe less."
That timeline may sound ambitious. But the underlying problem Trump identified, a defense-industrial base that cannot produce weapons fast enough to keep pace with global demand, is well documented and has drawn bipartisan concern for years. The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have exposed just how thin American munitions stockpiles have become.
Trump also cited more than $19.2 trillion in foreign investment "flowing into the country from allies and foreign investors," naming Saudi Arabia among the contributors. He did not provide a source or methodology for that figure.
The president pivoted from defense to economics, claiming the U.S. trade deficit has fallen 68% over the past year, a figure he attributed entirely to tariffs.
"Our trade deficit is down 68% in one year. That's because of the use of tariffs, and I wish I could use them faster. The Supreme Court said you can't use them as fast as I was using them, but I can use them actually more effectively by the method we're doing."
Trump did not name the specific Supreme Court ruling or provide a case citation. The remark suggests the administration has adjusted its tariff strategy in response to judicial constraints but views the current approach as sustainable.
On interest rates, Trump renewed his call for the Federal Reserve to cut rates, describing the current Fed board as "hostile." He expressed confidence in Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh to help achieve lower rates. Trump predicted inflation would continue easing through the end of 2026.
Trump has separately touted falling gas prices and credited U.S. action against Iran's nuclear program for easing energy costs, a theme he returned to in the FOX Business interview.
Trump acknowledged that oil markets remain volatile as the conflict continues but predicted a sharp drop once hostilities end.
"I think what's happening is oil is going to be a little bit of a yo-yo for a while. It goes up a little bit, goes down a little bit. And when this is over, oil is going to drop like a rock."
The Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly 20% of the world's oil supply, has been at the center of the conflict. Trump previously threatened to attack Iranian power plants if Iran did not fully reopen the strait within 48 hours. Brent crude dropped to its lowest level since early March after Trump declared an earlier iteration of an Iran deal complete, though that agreement quickly unraveled.
The on-again, off-again nature of the diplomacy has left markets guessing. But Trump's tone at the Army War College was that of a president who believes the military campaign has already achieved its core objectives and that the remaining question is whether Iran will accept terms or absorb further punishment.
The Carlisle appearance carried additional weight because of reported Iranian threats against Trump personally. The FOX Business report described the summit as Trump's first public event outside the White House since the NATO summit "amid threats to his life by Iran."
Trump did not elaborate on the nature of those threats during the interview. But the Washington Free Beacon reported that Trump publicly warned Supreme Leader Khamenei that the U.S. knows his location, posting: "We know exactly where the so-called Supreme Leader is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there, We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin."
Trump also claimed "complete and total control of the skies over Iran" and returned early from the G7 summit to address the situation, meeting with his national security team in the Situation Room.
The decision to travel to Carlisle despite the threat environment sent its own message. So did arriving with Hegseth and stepping directly into a defense-industry event to announce billions in new weapons investment.
Not everyone on the right has been satisfied with the administration's approach, the diplomatic track, in particular, has drawn criticism from hawks who argue that deals with Tehran inevitably collapse. The record so far has given those critics plenty of ammunition.
Several questions hang over the claims Trump made at the summit. The 91% weapons-degradation figure has no publicly cited source. The $19.2 trillion foreign-investment claim lacks methodology. The 68% trade-deficit reduction has not been independently verified in the available reporting. And the Supreme Court ruling Trump referenced on tariff speed remains unidentified by case name.
None of that diminishes the scale of what the administration is attempting, a simultaneous military campaign, defense-industrial expansion, and economic restructuring built on tariffs and energy dominance. Whether the numbers hold up under scrutiny will matter. But the direction is clear.
Iran's leaders have spent decades betting that American patience would run out before their regime did. If the IRGC's weapons stockpiles are truly down 91%, that bet is looking worse by the day.
