US President Donald Trump says ongoing military operations against Iran are intended to eliminate what he describes as growing nuclear and missile threats, adding that the campaign could run for several weeks.
- Donald Trump says US strikes aim to halt Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
- Claims operations are ahead of schedule, but the campaign could last longer than expected.
- US objectives include destroying missile systems, crippling naval forces and limiting regional militant support.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday he had ordered the attack on Iran to thwart Tehran’s nuclear development and a ballistic missile programme that he said was growing rapidly.
Trump offered his most extensive comments about the war beyond two video messages and a series of brief phone interviews with reporters over the weekend that offered sometimes conflicting objectives in the conflict.
He said, without providing evidence, that the threat from Iran had been imminent.
“This was our last best chance to strike … and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime,” he said at an event in the White House East Room.
Trump said military operations were ahead of schedule, without providing details. He said he had projected the US campaign would last four to five weeks, but that it could go longer.
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A central premise of the fight was to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, which Tehran has denied doing, and thwart its long-range ballistic missile programme, Trump said.
“An Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat to the Middle East, but also to the American people,” Trump said.
Trump said US forces had knocked out 10 Iranian ships – “they’re at the bottom of the sea” – and expressed confidence about how the campaign was going.
Trump said:
Today, the United States military continues to carry out large-scale, combat operations in Iran to eliminate the grave threats posed to America by this terrible, terrorist regime.
He said the objectives of the war included destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, annihilating their navy and stopping them from having a nuclear weapon.
We’re ensuring that the world’s number one sponsor of terror can NEVER obtain a nuclear weapon.
President Donald J. Trump highlights the crucial mission objectives of Operation Epic Fury. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Llo9ykkoXQ
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 2, 2026
Trump said a third objective was a long-standing US goal, to prevent Iran from supporting militant groups elsewhere in the region.
Trump noted the loss of four American service personnel in the fight so far, adding: “In their memory, we continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat this terrorist regime poses to the American people.”
