9 times Trump claimed victory in Iran war - which is actually still ongoing

US president Donald Trump sparked confusion recently when he said America was going to win the war in Iran “very soon” – because the 80-year-old has already claimed the conflict has been won by the United States on several occasions since the country and Israel launched strikes back in February.

In response to a request for comment over the president’s remarks, the White House’s principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said: “President Trump is right – Operation Epic Fury obliterated Iran militarily, and now, Operations Economic Fury and Economic Outcast are squeezing the regime economically.

“The President is using every lever at his disposal to ensure Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, which past leaders have talked about, but no one else had the courage to address.”

So, when exactly did Trump say the war has been won? We’ve rounded them up for you below.

March 9, 2026: “You could say both”

On the same day that Trump told CBS News that the war in Iran was “very complete”, a journalist asked the president to clarify the current situation with the conflict, as his defense secretary Pete Hegseth claimed it was “just the beginning”.

Asked which of the two it is, Trump replied: “I think you could say both. The beginning, it’s the beginning of building a new country.

“They have no navy, they have no air force, they have no anti-aircraft equipment, it’s all been blown up. 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 gonna go further.”

March 11, 2026: “In the first hour it was over”

And just days later, Trump was boasting about winning the Iran war during a rally in Kentucky, where he told the crowd: “You never like to say too early you won. We won.

“In the first hour it was over.”

March 15, 2026: “Militarily, we've, as far as I'm concerned, we've essentially defeated Iran”

Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One, Trump said “it would be nice” to have other countries “police” the Strait of Hormuz alongside the US, adding that the country has “essentially defeated Iran” militarily.

March 20, 2026: “I think we won”

Responding to a question from a Fox News journalist on the White House lawn, Trump said: “I think we won.

“We've knocked out their navy, their air force. We've knocked out their anti-aircraft.

“We've knocked out everything. We're roaming free.

“From a military standpoint, all they're doing is clogging up the Strait. But from a military standpoint, they're finished.”

March 24, 2026: “This war has been won”

Later that same month, Trump told reporters inside the White House that “this war has been won” and that “the only one that likes to keep it going is the fake news”.

“I mean, The New York Times, you read The New York Times and it’s like, we’re not winning a war where they have no navy, and they have no air force and they have no nothing,” he said.

April 7, 2026: “Total and complete victory”

During a phone call with AFP following a two-week ceasefire agreement with Iran, Trump declared “total and complete victory”.

“100 per cent. No question about it,” he said.

April 11, 2026: “The United States has completely destroyed Iran’s military”

In a post shared to his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “The Fake News Media is CRAZY, or just plain CORRUPT! The United States has completely destroyed Iran’s Military, including their entire Navy and Air Force, and everything else.

“Their leadership is DEAD! The Strait of Hormuz will soon be open, and the empty ships are rushing to the United States to ‘load up.’ But, if you listen to the Fake News, we’re losing!”

July 8, 2026: “A tremendous military success”

At a NATO summit in Turkey, one journalist said the Iran war “seems to be a strategic dead end” for the president, and asked why he is “apparently unable to end the Iran war”.

Trump replied: “So I think we’re doing just the opposite. The Iran war has been a tremendous military success.”

August 27, 2026: “Mission accomplished”

Serving up some AI slop on his Truth Social account, the president shared a graphic of him standing and looking sternly at the camera, with fighter jets behind him and a sign on his right which reads “mission not accomplished 2001-2021”, next to an image of his predecessor, Joe Biden.

On his left, another sign reads: “Mission accomplished 2026.”

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