President Donald Trump suggested Monday that the war with Iran is already nearing its end, claiming U.S. operations have effectively dismantled the country’s military capacity.
In a phone call with CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang, Trump described the conflict as “very complete pretty much,” even as reports of continued fighting and missile launches raised questions about how close the war actually is to being over.
Later, when asked about the mixed messages and how the war in Iran can at once be finished and not yet started, the president replied "you could say both."
President Trump dismisses Iran's new supreme leader
Jiang summarized the exchange in a thread on X. In one post, she wrote that Trump believed the conflict could wrap up quickly. He said, "I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no Air Force." Jiang noted,
"He added that the U.S. is 'very far' ahead of his initial 4-5 week estimated time frame."
However, the president’s comments arrived just one day after Iran named a new supreme leader: Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the deceased Ali Khamenei.
When Jiang asked Trump about the new leader, he brushed off the question of the man he had previously openly criticized. According to her reporting, he said, "I have no message for him. None, whatsoever."
He added in the interview that he had an idea of who he would want to replace the Supreme Leader, but didn't name names.
Earlier reporting from The Wall Street Journal had suggested that Trump supported an operation targeting Mojtaba "if he proves unwilling to cede to U.S. demands," but did not confirm any such plan during the call.
Trump also spoke about the Strait of Hormuz. Jiang wrote that ships were currently moving through the critical waterway. However, Trump told her he was "thinking about taking it over."
At the same time, he issued a warning to Iran about further attacks.
"They’ve shot everything they have to shoot, and they better not try anything cute or it’s going to be the end of that country," Trump said.
Later that day, the president was asked: "You said the war is 'very complete.' But your defense secretary says 'this is just the beginning.' So which is it?" during a presser.
"You could say both," replied Trump.
"It's the beginning of building a new country, but they certainly, they have no navy, they have no air force, they have no anti-aircraft equipment. It's all been blown up," he went on.
"They have no radar. They have no telecommunications, and they have no leadership. It's all gone. So you know, you could look at that statement, we could call it a tremendous success right now as we leave here, I could call it, or we could go further, and we're going to go further."
According to the website Iran Cost Ticker, the United States has spent well over $10 billion on Iran since striking it in conjunction with Israel on February 28, 2026—around $1B daily.
Soon after Jiang posted about the conversation, it reached the r/worldnews subreddit, where several commenters ridiculed Trump’s description of the conflict as nearly finished.
u/The_color_gold joked, "Hang the 'MISSION ACCOMPLISHED' banner."
Meanwhile, u/Soffatjockis added, "Trump TACO'd like he always does. I thought it would take him a bit longer than that. Especially since Israel seems to want to continue."
Still, others questioned the claim that Iran had already been defeated.
"Isn't Iran still launching missiles? In what way are they defeated?" asked u/captain_slackbeard.
Another Redditor replied with a time reference that challenged Trump’s announcement. "They launched more at Israel 16 minutes after [Trump's] announcement," u/millerlit wrote.
Meanwhile, some commenters focused on possible long-term consequences. One Redditor warned that extremist retaliation could follow even if Iran’s government weakened.
"He's worried about stocks while extremists are plotting revenge," wrote u/GloomWorldOrder. "This is not going to age well."
"Made the regime somehow worse, killed a bunch of civilians, sent the world economy in disarray, and he's ready to leave?" wrote u/BlueHeartbeat. "That's a lost war, congrats."
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