President Donald Trump defended the U.S. war with Iran during his Veterans Day address Wednesday, arguing Tehran has waged war against America for decades and predicting the current conflict will end “soon.”
Speaking before veterans and their families at Arlington National Cemetery, Trump said his administration finally confronted a threat that previous American leaders allowed to persist since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“America did not start a war with Iran. Iran has been waging war on America since 1979. They should have been taken care of a long time ago,” Trump said.
“And it was just about time somebody fought back. All of us fought back. We fought back, and we fought back. We won. Now the question is when we want to end. We must have a total victory. Not a 93% victory. It’s going to be total,” he added.
Trump highlighted the October 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 American service members and was carried out by terrorists linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The president introduced Marine veteran Dale Garner, who survived the attack despite suffering severe injuries.
“On the morning of October 23, 1983, Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists detonated a truck packed with explosives at the Marine barracks with hundreds of Americans inside,” Trump said.
“We remember the 241 American service members murdered in the Beirut barracks bombing, the deadliest day for the Marine Corps since Iwo Jima.”
Trump used the attack to support his broader argument that the current confrontation did not begin with U.S. military operations earlier this year.
“This Veterans Day, I also want to say a very special thanks to every service member currently working to ensure that the world’s number one state sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
U.S. operations against Iran began approximately seven months ago, with the most intense fighting occurring during the early weeks of the campaign.
“We began operations against Iran seven months ago, of which only a few weeks were active hard fighting,” Trump said.
“We lost 18 beautiful souls.”
Trump argued that American military operations have inflicted extensive damage on Iran’s military capabilities and said Tehran would require decades to recover.
“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,” Trump said.
The president also suggested Wednesday that the fighting may be nearing its conclusion.
“When this conflict is over, and it will be soon, the entire world will be a much safer and better place,” Trump said.
The remarks came two days after Trump said additional U.S. military action against Iran did not appear necessary “at this point.”
Trump said Monday that the United States remains “fully locked and loaded” if circumstances change but expressed optimism that economic pressure and diplomacy could bring the conflict to an end.
“We’re seeing momentum toward the end of this conflict. I think it’s going to be ending fairly soon,” Trump said Monday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a similar assessment while meeting with G7 foreign ministers in Paris this week.
Rubio said Washington remains open to diplomacy but described Iran’s current demands as “totally unrealistic.”
Tehran has demanded conditions including sanctions relief and war reparations.
Rubio said the administration sees little reason to launch another major military operation while sanctions and the U.S. naval blockade continue inflicting economic pressure on Iran.
“We don’t need to conduct military strikes if we’re achieving the same objective through economic means and economic pressure,” Rubio said.
Trump used his Veterans Day address to contrast the current campaign with previous prolonged American wars.
He discussed the conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan while arguing that the United States spent enormous amounts of money and sacrificed thousands of American lives without receiving sufficient benefits.
Trump also praised the military operation in Venezuela that removed Nicolás Maduro, describing that campaign as an example of overwhelming American military power.
The president’s Veterans Day remarks came one day after issuing his official proclamation honoring the millions of Americans who have served in the Armed Forces.
“For over 250 years, the liberties and freedoms of every American have been safeguarded by the heroic men and women who have faithfully served in the United States Armed Forces,” Trump said in the proclamation.
Trump also highlighted his administration’s efforts to expand veterans’ healthcare, reduce the Department of Veterans Affairs disability claims backlog and address veteran homelessness.
