Trump admits that Iran is rebuilding its air defense President Trump refused tonight to approve the direct clashes near the island of Kesham, where the Iranian air defense fired on American planes. Instead, he downplayed the American strikes as "small," aimed at destroying Iran's new air defense system. For months, Trump has claimed that the US has completely "mimicked" Iran's military and missile programs. According to him, the sanctions damaged their economy to such an extent that they could not rebuild. In fact, the US is now bombing newly built systems as Iran continues to replace what CENTCOM is destroying. The US is trapped in a cycle of endless "small attacks". " substack | chat.