Headlines
Trump says U.S. has knocked out many iranian naval and air targets
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 3, 2026
3 min readLast updated: March 3, 2026
Quick Summary
President Trump declared that U.S. forces have neutralized numerous Iranian naval and air assets, asserting “just about everything has been knocked out.” He cited failing talks over Iran’s nuclear program as his motive, though provided no concrete evidence for an imminent threat.
Trump says he ordered strike on Iran over attack fears
Trump's Explanation and Administration Accounts of the Iran Strike
By Nandita Bose and Andreas Rinke
Trump’s Reasoning for the Strike
WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he ordered U.S. forces to join Israel's attack on Iran because he believed Iran was about to strike the United States, his latest explanation amid conflicting accounts from the administration of how the war started.
Trump’s Statement in the Oval Office
"I might have forced their (Israel’s) hand," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office as he met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "We were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first. If we didn't do it, they were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that."
Conflicting Accounts Within the Administration
Trump's comments about the run-up to the war were at odds with an earlier account from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told reporters on Monday that the United States launched the attack because of fears that Iran would retaliate in response to planned Israeli action against Tehran.
Rubio’s Account of the Attack
"We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties," Rubio said.
Details on the Decision and Aftermath
Trump’s Perception of Imminent Threat
Trump on Tuesday said he believed Iran was on the brink of launching attacks, presenting no evidence to support his view, after U.S. negotiations with Iran last Thursday in Geneva. Iran had described those talks as positive with more planned in the days ahead.
Public Communication and Oil Prices
"It's something that had to be done," Trump said, taking questions from reporters in a public setting for the first time since the U.S. attacks began. He previously had discussed the attacks in two brief videos and one-on-one interviews with select journalists over the weekend but did not give a televised address to the nation.
Trump also said on Tuesday he could live with higher oil prices for a period of time because it was more important to remove what he said was an imminent threat from Iran. Gasoline prices in the United States have jumped as a result of uncertainty about oil supplies with the conflict showing no signs of ending soon.
Military Developments and Iranian Response
Assessment of the War Effort
Trump described the war effort as successful thus far against many Iranian naval and air targets. "Just about everything has been knocked out," he said.
Iran’s Response and Future Predictions
Iran has responded to the attack by firing missiles and drones at neighboring Arab states and strangling shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for energy trade.
Trump’s Prediction for Iran’s Capabilities
But Trump predicted Tehran will eventually lose its capability to continue lobbing missiles due to a sustained assault against them.
"They've shot a lot of them, and we're knocking out a lot," he said.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Nandita Bose, Andreas Rinke and Steve Holland;Editing by David Ljunggren, Colleen Jenkins and Alistair Bell)
Key Takeaways
- •Trump claims U.S. military has destroyed a broad array of Iranian naval and air targets, but offers no supporting intelligence.
- •The president initiated strikes based on his intuition of an impending Iranian attack amid stalled nuclear negotiations.
- •This escalation aligns with reports of Operation Epic Fury, under which over 1,000 Iranian targets including drone ‘motherships’ and vessels were struck and U.S. casualties confirmed.
Frequently Asked Questions about Trump says U.S. has knocked out many Iranian naval and air targets
1What did President Trump say about the US military actions against Iran?
Trump stated that the US military had knocked out many Iranian naval and air targets, describing the actions as successful.
2Why did Trump order attacks on Iranian targets?
Trump claimed he ordered the attacks because he felt Iran would attack the US as nuclear negotiations stalled.
3Was any evidence provided for Trump's reasoning behind the attack?
No evidence was presented by Trump to support his view that Iran would attack the US.
4What did Trump predict about Iran's missile capabilities?
Trump predicted that Iran would eventually lose its missile capabilities due to sustained US assaults.
5Were nuclear talks between the US and Iran ongoing?
Negotiations were reportedly stalled after recent talks in Geneva, with another round previously anticipated.
