Trump Says “We Won” Iran War as Missiles Still Hit Israel

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said “We won” the war with Iran and declared that the Islamic Republic had been “absolutely decimated,” suggesting the conflict could end soon, even as Iranian missiles continued targeting Israel throughout the day.

Trump made the comments during several appearances Wednesday, including remarks to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, an interview with Axios, and a campaign-style rally in Hebron, Kentucky. Across the different events, the president repeatedly suggested that the military campaign against Iran had achieved the United States’ goals.

“We have very good news on the war front, namely they are absolutely being destroyed. Iran is being absolutely decimated,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews after returning from domestic travel. He added that U.S. forces are now “riding free range” over Iran and claimed that the country effectively no longer has a functioning military. “They have no navy,” Trump said. “They have no air force.”

Speaking later at a rally in Hebron, Kentucky, Trump went further, telling supporters that the outcome of the war had already been decided. “You never like to say too early you won. We won,” he said. “In the first hour, it was over.” Trump also said the United States had knocked out 58 Iranian naval ships during the campaign.

Despite the president’s comments, Iranian missile attacks on Israel continued into Thursday, with at least seven salvos launched since Wednesday night, triggering air raid sirens nationwide and sending millions of civilians into shelters. No direct impacts or serious injuries were reported though, aside from people lightly injured while running for shelter or suffering severe anxiety.

Israeli officials have signaled that the conflict may continue significantly longer than Trump suggested. According to reports following a government briefing, ministers were told that bringing down Iran’s regime could take up to a year. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that the campaign against Iran would continue “without any time limit, as long as necessary, until we achieve all the objectives and decide the outcome of the campaign.”

Trump, however, suggested the campaign was nearing its conclusion. “There’s practically nothing left to target,” he told Axios in an interview Wednesday, adding that the war could end “soon.” “Little this and that… Any time I want it to end, it will end,” Trump said.

At the same time, the president indicated that the United States would remain engaged in the fighting for now. “We don’t want to leave early, do we?” he said during the Kentucky rally. “We got to finish the job.”

Trump also outlined potential next steps in the conflict during his remarks at Joint Base Andrews. He said the United States could cripple Iran’s electric grid in “one hour,” though he added that he would prefer not to take such a step so the country could rebuild after the war. The president also said Washington would move “very quickly” to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve if necessary to stabilize global energy markets during the conflict, before replenishing it later.

Commenting on Iran’s future, Trump said the United States would prefer to see new leadership emerge after the war. “We don’t want to let it regrow,” he said of the Islamic regime. “Ideally we would like to see somebody in there that knows what they’re doing, in other words that can build a country.”