Trump says the US did not start the war with Iran and says it will end soon

Donald Trump used a Veterans Day ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery to say the United States did not start the war with Iran and that the conflict would end soon. Speaking at the cemetery's Memorial Amphitheater in Virginia, he said America had "fought back" and claimed the war would be over "soon", although he gave no date. He also said the United States had "begun operations" against Iran seven months ago, with only a few weeks of what he described as active hard fighting.

Trump's remarks came during the national Veterans Day ceremony and were shared by the White House's Rapid Response 47 account and an affiliated account. In his comments, he said Iran had been "waging war on America since 1979" and argued that the conflict should have been dealt with long ago. He also said the United States wanted "total victory" rather than what he called a "93% victory".

The president said the war had cost "18 beautiful souls", referring to soldiers killed in the conflict. He added that it would take Iran 25 years to rebuild what had been destroyed, while saying he hoped there would be no need to destroy more of the country. The remarks were made in a highly symbolic setting, at a ceremony honouring US military service members on a national day of remembrance.

The comments are significant because they frame the war as a response rather than an initiation, at a time when the conflict has already had wider consequences. The supporting material says the war has killed thousands of people and upended oil prices, underlining the economic and humanitarian impact beyond the battlefield. It also points to the continuing political importance of how the administration presents the conflict to the public and to allies.

The supplied material says the United States and Israel had plotted a military assault in secret for weeks as part of efforts to curb Iran's nuclear programme. It says joint strikes on a government compound in Tehran on February 28 began the war, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top military and intelligence officials. It also says at least 175 people, most of them children, were killed in a US-ordered strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh school in Minab, and that Iran responded with missiles and drones against Israel and nearby US military bases.

What remains unclear from the latest remarks is the timing of any end to the war and what conditions would define "total victory". Trump did not give a date for when the conflict would finish, and the supporting material does not provide fresh details on any ceasefire or negotiations. The next developments to watch are whether the administration offers further explanation of its strategy and whether fighting or retaliatory attacks continue.

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