Trump says Iran faces serious challenges in manufacturing drones due to lack of electricity

President Donald Trump stated Wednesday during a rally in Ohio that the Iranian regime is facing serious difficulties in manufacturing drones due to a lack of electricity, arguing that this disruption is affecting the country's ability to produce weapons even though they still have missiles. "Their missiles are still there, but not much less. Their drones that they make are having a hard time because they can't get electricity anymore," the Republican president said.

Elsewhere in his speech, Trump also argued that the armed conflict the United States is still engaged in with Iran must be understood in the context of decades of hostility between Washington and Tehran. "I was listening to a very good congressman last week and he said 'Trump didn't start this war.' This war was started in 1979 by Iran and killed many, many Americans," the president said, referring to the period following the Iranian Revolution.

Trump's remarks came on the same day that oil prices fell during early trading in Asia, as investors weighed potential risks to energy supplies against other market pressures amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

World

The head of intelligence warns that Iran has stepped up its efforts to target Americans in the Middle East

Williams Perdomo

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil, the U.S. benchmark, fell 92 cents, or 0.9%, to $101.86 per barrel, hitting an intraday low of $101.75, after rising approximately 3% during Wednesday's session. According to a report by the Reuters news agency, the decline came as markets continued to assess the potential impact of the conflict on global oil supplies and energy prices.

Similarly, Trump's remarks come just a few days after the Director of National Intelligence, Jay Clayton, warned that Iran has "substantially" increased its efforts to attack U.S. personnel in the Middle East and other countries. "We have received intelligence indicating that Iran has substantially increased its efforts to attack U.S. personnel," Clayton stated in a memo sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to a U.S. official. The document, initially reported by Axios, warns that Iranian plans to target U.S. citizens have reached an advanced stage.