Conflicting US statements in the second week of the war on Iran – a timeline

Trump calls Operation Epic Fury a ‘minor excursion’

7 March

Talking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the president characterised the war on Iran as a “minor excursion” that would make the world a safer place. However, he also said that he’s seeking “unconditional surrender” from the Iranian regime to end the conflict. “It’s when they cry uncle, or when they can’t fight any longer,” Trump said, when asked to explain what that looks like.

Trump says the war is ‘very complete, pretty much’

9 March

In a CBS News phone interview, Trump described the US‑Israeli campaign as “very complete”, claiming Iran had “no navy, no communications, no air force”, and that its drones were “being blown up all over the place”. Oil prices, which had hit a four‑year high over the weekend, began to ease after his remarks.

Hegseth touts ‘most intense’ day of strikes but repeats that the war is ‘not endless’

10 March

Hegseth said the US was carrying out the “most intense day of strikes inside Iran”, while again insisting the operation was “not endless” and “not protracted”. “We’re not allowing mission creep,” he said.

Trump says there is ‘practically nothing left to target’ and declares ‘we won’

11 March

In a brief interview with Axios, Trump said the war would end “soon”, claiming there was “practically nothing left to target”. He said the US was “way ahead of the timetable” and had inflicted more damage than expected “even in the original six‑week period”.

At a rally in northern Kentucky, he declared “we won”, even as strikes continued. He later tempered the remark, saying the US still had “to win this thing”.

Trump says the war in Iran is ‘moving along very rapidly’

12 March

At a Women’s History Month event at the White House, Trump offered a more cautious assessment, saying only that the situation was “moving along very rapidly” and that the Iranian regime was “paying a big price right now”.

Hegseth says Iran is now ‘desperate and hiding’ while repeating operation is not ‘prolonged’

13 March

At another Pentagon press conference, Pete Hegseth said that Iran’s military capabilities had been significantly degraded and claimed the regime “does not have the ability to build any more weapons”. He added that Iran’s leadership is “desperate and hiding” after noting the ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is “likely disfigured” following the strike that killed his father and many members of his family. The defense secretary reiterated that “prolonged timelines” or “nation building” are not the aim of conflict.

Trump says war on Iran will end ‘when I feel it in my bones’

13 March

Speaking to Fox News, the president tried to limit concerns about the economy in the wake of the war on Iran, particularly the whipsawing price of oil. “This will bounce right back when it’s over, and I don’t think it’s going to be long when it’s over,” he said in a phone interview.

When asked when the end might be, Trump said it would ultimately be up to him: “When I feel it in my bones.”