President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States has already won the war with Iran but will accept nothing less than a "total victory," telling a Veterans Day audience at Arlington National Cemetery that Tehran would need 25 years to rebuild what American strikes destroyed.
"We fought back, and we seriously fought back, and we won," Trump said during his remarks at the Memorial Amphitheater, after taking part in the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier alongside First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
"Just a question of when we want to end it. We want to make sure we have a total victory, not a 93% victory. It's going to be total," he added. "It'll take them 25 years to rebuild back what we have destroyed, and hopefully we won't have to destroy any more of that country."
Trump said the United States did not start the conflict. "America did not start a war with Iran," he said. "Iran has been waging war on America since 1979. This should have been taken care of a long time ago."
The president paid tribute to American service members involved in the campaign, saying 18 U.S. personnel had been killed during the conflict, which the military calls Operation Epic Fury. "We lost 18 beautiful souls," he said. "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."
Trump thanked U.S. troops for their efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, describing the Islamic Republic as the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. The ceremony was the 73rd annual National Veterans Day Observance, and in his Veterans Day proclamation Trump said the Department of Veterans Affairs had processed a record 3.1 million disability claims this year, cut its claims backlog by more than 70 percent, opened 47 new health care facilities and housed nearly 52,000 homeless veterans last year.
During the ceremony, Trump introduced Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the audience of veterans and military personnel, drawing enthusiastic applause. "The Secretary of War Pete Hegseth," Trump announced. "He's done a fantastic job, but he loves you, and he protects you. He's all about you."
The public show of support came less than 24 hours after the Republican-controlled House blocked an attempt by Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky to advance eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, voting 211-204 on Tuesday to send the resolution to committee. Hegseth rejected the accusations during a Pentagon news conference on Tuesday, calling the impeachment effort a "political spectacle" and a "farce."
