Trump says U.S. has won the war with Iran during Arlington Veterans Day speech
Speaking at Arlington on Veterans Day, Trump said the U.S. has won the campaign but gave no withdrawal or end-of-operations timeline.
President Donald Trump told a Veterans Day audience at Arlington National Cemetery that the United States has already won the war against Iran, saying the timing for ending the conflict is now a political decision in Washington.
Trump delivered the remarks during a ceremony honoring veterans, but he did not declare an end to U.S. military operations nor announce any withdrawal of American forces from the region.
Claims and timeline
“We struck back, and we struck hard, and we have won. Now it's a question of when we want to end the war,” Trump said, while stopping short of ordering a cessation of operations or a pullout of troops.
He insisted that the United States was not the aggressor: “America did not start the war against Iran. Iran has been waging war against the United States since 1979. We want to make sure we achieve a complete victory, not a 93 percent victory. It will be complete,” Trump said, adding that Iran would need 25 years to rebuild everything the U.S. military destroyed.
Trump’s characterization frames the conflict — which he said has lasted more than eight months — as a campaign the administration can choose to conclude, but provides no new operational timeline or concrete steps for downsizing U.S. military presence in the Middle East.
Photo: press material from the event
