WASHINGTON, March 3 - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that U.S. military forces have been effective in striking a wide range of Iranian naval and air targets, asserting that "just about everything has been knocked out." He made the remarks in the Oval Office immediately before a scheduled meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Answering questions from reporters, the president described his rationale for ordering the strikes as based on an intuitive judgement, saying he acted because "I had a feeling" that Iran would mount an attack on the United States as negotiations over Iran's nuclear program stalled. The president did not provide evidence to substantiate that belief.
The administration's statement came amid expectations that Iran had been preparing for further diplomacy. According to the president's remarks, Tehran had been anticipating another round of talks with U.S. envoys after negotiations in Geneva last Thursday.
Trump acknowledged that Iran continued to launch missiles following the U.S. action, but he predicted that Iran's ability to do so would eventually diminish under sustained pressure. He said, "They've shot a lot of them, and we're knocking out a lot." The president framed the campaign as gradually eroding Tehran's missile capability.
Beyond the immediate assertions about battlefield results, the president's comments emphasized a mix of military confidence and uncertainty about the diplomatic path forward. He linked the decision to strike to the pause in negotiations over the nuclear file rather than to presented intelligence or public evidence, and he reiterated the administration's stance that persistent operations against Iranian systems will reduce their capacity to strike.
The situation described by the president includes ongoing missile launches from Iran and a claimed series of successful U.S. strikes against naval and air systems. At the same time, the president noted that Iran had been expecting talks with U.S. envoys following recent diplomatic engagements in Geneva.
Contextual note: The president's statements combined operational claims, direct quotations, and references to diplomatic activity. He did not offer corroborating evidence for the assertion that an imminent Iranian attack prompted his order.