Washington DC [US], November 12 : US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said that the United States did not initiate the war with Iran, asserting that Tehran had been waging war against America since 1979, as he defended his administration's military action against the country and said Washington wanted to secure a "total victory" rather than settle for a partial outcome.
Speaking during the 2026 National Veterans Day Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Trump said the United States had fought back against Iran and claimed that American military operations had significantly damaged 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 said that Washington had responded militarily and had emerged victorious, while emphasising that the objective was to ensure a complete outcome.
"Under this administration and 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. 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. We've got a lot of work to do to put it back," Trump said.
Referring to the US military's use of B-2 bombers to deter Iran's nuclear programme, Trump said that Washington had prevented Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
"Iran, where we stopped them from having a nuclear weapon, the B2 bombers – they took them out. We began operations against Iran 7 months ago, of which only a few weeks were active hard fighting. We lost 18 beautiful souls. 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.