United States President Donald Trump has said the most intense phase of the ongoing war with Iran is yet to begin, declaring that American forces are already inflicting heavy damage but warning that a larger military operation is imminent.
Speaking during a nine-minute phone interview with CNN on Monday, Trump said US military operations against Iran were progressing successfully following joint American and Israeli strikes launched over the weekend.
“We’re knocking the crap out of them,” Trump said. “I think it’s going very well. It’s very powerful. We’ve got the greatest military in the world and we’re using it.”
The president suggested the conflict could last several weeks but indicated operations were advancing faster than anticipated.
“I don’t want to see it go on too long. I always thought it would be four weeks, and we’re a little ahead of schedule,” he said.
Trump added that additional actions beyond direct military strikes were underway, though he declined to provide details, urging civilians in affected areas to remain indoors due to safety concerns.
“We are indeed [doing more], but right now we want everyone staying inside. It’s not safe out there,” he said.
He warned that conditions could worsen soon, saying:
“We haven’t even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon.”
Trump described Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Arab countries as the “biggest surprise” of the conflict so far.
Iranian missiles and drones have reportedly targeted locations across Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
“We were surprised,” Trump said, noting that some regional partners were initially expected to remain minimally involved but later became directly engaged after being targeted.
“They were going to be very little involved and now they insist on being involved,” he added.
According to Trump, attacks on civilian sites, including residential buildings and hotels, intensified anger among regional allies.
The president also addressed uncertainty surrounding Iran’s political leadership following strikes that reportedly killed several senior officials.
“We don’t know who the leadership is. We don’t know who they’ll pick,” Trump said.
He claimed dozens of Iranian leaders were killed during the initial phase of the operation, adding that the losses had created confusion within the country’s governing structure.
“They don’t even know who’s leading them now,” he said.
Trump said diplomatic efforts with Tehran had collapsed before military action began, accusing Iranian officials of repeatedly backing away from agreements.
“We couldn’t make a deal with these people,” he said, adding that Iran refused to halt uranium enrichment activities.
The president argued that military force was necessary after negotiations failed, describing the operation as part of a long-term effort to counter Iranian threats in the region.
“This is the way,” Trump said. “We don’t have to worry about agreements.”
Trump linked the current campaign to previous US actions against Iran, including the 2020 drone strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and later operations targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.
He criticised earlier diplomatic agreements with Tehran, claiming they would have enabled Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
“That deal was so bad,” Trump said. “It was a pathway to a bomb.”
Despite escalating tensions across the Middle East, Trump maintained that the ongoing military campaign was progressing as planned.
“So it’s going good,” he said before ending the interview.
CNN.
