US President Donald Trump said that America did not start the war with Iran, claiming that Tehran had been waging war against Washington since 1979. Defending his administration’s military campaign, Trump said the US was seeking a “total victory” rather than settling for a partial outcome.
‘America did not start a war with Iran’
Speaking at the 2026 National Veterans Day Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Trump said the US had retaliated against Iran and claimed that American military operations had significantly weakened the country’s capabilities. “America did not start a war with Iran. Iran has been waging war in America since 1979. This should have been taken care of a long time ago,” Trump said.
Defending his administration’s approach to the ongoing West Asia conflict, the US President claimed that Washington had fought back and emerged victorious. He stressed, however, that the objective was to secure a complete victory.
“Under this administration, it was about time somebody fought back. All of us fought back. We fought back, and we seriously fought back, and we won. It’s just a question of, wouldn’t we want to end it? We want to make sure we have a total victory, not a 93 per cent victory. It’s going to be total,” Trump said.
He further claimed that it would take Iran 25 years to rebuild what the US had destroyed, while expressing hope that Washington would not have to carry out further strikes.
US prevented Iran from acquiring nuclear weapon
Referring to the US military’s use of B-2 bombers against Iran’s nuclear programme, Trump claimed that Washington had prevented Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. “Iran, where we stopped them from having a nuclear weapon, the B-2 bombers – they took them out. We began operations against Iran seven months ago, of which only a few weeks were active hard fighting. We lost 18 beautiful souls,” he said.
Trump further added that the conflict would end soon and claimed that its conclusion would make the world a safer, more peaceful place. “But when this conflict is over, and it will be soon, the entire world will be a much safer and better place, a more peaceful place, and a place without the kind of danger that we had to suffer,” the US President said.
Trump’s remarks come amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, with the President portraying American military action as a response to what he described as decades of Iranian hostility.
He reiterated that his administration’s objective was not merely to claim a military victory but to ensure a complete outcome, while expressing hope that further destruction in Iran would not be necessary.
The US President made the remarks while paying tribute to American veterans at Arlington National Cemetery, honouring generations of service members who served in defence of the nation.
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins were also present at Arlington National Cemetery as part of the ceremony.
(With ANI inputs)
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