President Trump defended the U.S. military strikes on Iran, saying the operation’s objectives are to eliminate Iran’s missile capabilities and navy, prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and stop its support for militant groups around the world. He did not provide new details on the operation’s length or scope; the strikes began over the weekend and have so far resulted in the deaths of four American service members.
“We’re already substantially ahead of our time projections,” Trump said, adding that while an initial projection had been four to five weeks, the U.S. has the capability to operate much longer if necessary. He reiterated that repeated diplomatic efforts had failed and described Iran’s expanding ballistic missile program as a “clear colossal threat” to U.S. forces and interests. He made the remarks at the White House ahead of a Medal of Honor ceremony — his first public comments since the U.S. and Israel launched the operation Saturday after weeks of talks aimed at averting conflict.
The U.S.-led operation, and Iran’s subsequent retaliation, have been reported to result in the deaths of Iran’s supreme leader and some senior figures, have drawn other Middle Eastern countries into the fighting, and have led to American casualties in Kuwait. Trump had previously issued two prerecorded statements after the fighting began.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the U.S.-Israeli action was a response to years of Iranian attacks on U.S. forces and interests, declaring, “We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump we’re finishing it,” and summarizing the goals as destroying missile threats, degrading Iran’s navy, and preventing a nuclear weapon while avoiding prolonged nation-building.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, cautioned that the military objectives will be difficult and “gritty,” and that additional losses are expected even as commanders seek to minimize them. He said some campaign planning took months or years and that the initial phase targeted Iran’s command-and-control systems, naval forces, ballistic missile sites, and intelligence infrastructure to degrade the adversary’s ability to observe, coordinate, or respond effectively.