Tracking Trump’s ever-shifting positions on the Iran war ... in his own words
From ‘bombing our hearts out’ to ‘very good and productive conversations’, Trump’s own words reveal a dizzying evolution of US war goals
How long will the Iran war last and what are the US goals? President Donald Trump has issued a dizzying number of conflicting answers to these questions since launching the conflict three weeks ago.
The stakes have risen as Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes across the Gulf after the United States and Israel started their attacks on February 28.
Here, in Trump’s own words, are his shifting positions:
Duration of the war
March 1: “Well, we intended four to five weeks.” (To The New York Times)
March 9: “I think the war is very complete, pretty much.” (To CBS)
March 20: “We are getting very close to meeting our objectives.” (Truth Social).
March 20: “I think we have won.... I don’t want to do a ceasefire.” (To reporters at the White House)
March 23: “If talks fail..., we’ll just keep bombing our little hearts out.” (To reporters in Florida)