Trump Claims “Everything Knocked Out” in Iran Strikes

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke publicly on March 3, 2026, from the White House alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, outlining the results of the US military operation in Iran.

Trump stated that Tehran’s military had “no navy. It’s been knocked out. They have no air force. It’s been knocked out. They have no air detection, that’s been knocked out. Their radar has been knocked out. And just about everything’s been knocked out.” He added, “We’re doing very well. We have a great military and they’re doing a fantastic job.”

The U.S. President also said that Israel’s military actions did not prompt US strikes. When asked if Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forced his hand, Trump replied, “No. I might've forced their hand. It was my opinion that these lunatics were going to attack first.”

Trump commented on Iran’s new leadership, stating, “I guess there was another hit on the new leadership. That looks like it was pretty substantial also.”

He emphasized that most of the individuals he had in mind for leadership are dead: “Most of the people I had in mind for leadership are dead. We have another group and they also may be dead.” Trump stressed that Iran is targeting civilian sites in retaliation, while US strikes focus on military objectives: “They are hitting only civilian places, hotels and apartments. We are hitting them where it is much more appropriate.”

Trump outlined the US’s operational readiness and supply capabilities, noting that the military acted quickly without prior evacuation plans for Americans in the Middle East. He described an effectively inexhaustible supply of certain munitions and said defense manufacturers are operating under emergency authorities to accelerate production.

He also highlighted ongoing strategic concerns, warning against potential unrest in Iran: “I do not want Iranians to protest yet. It’s very dangerous out there. A lot of bombs are being dropped.”

Trump noted the risk of post-strike leadership succession: “The worst case would be we do this and then somebody takes over who is as bad as the previous person right? That could happen, we don't want that to happen.” He reaffirmed the goal to finish off Iran’s military capabilities first: “We will see what happens but we first we have to finish off the military.”