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Home » Trump’s First Full Address After Iran Strikes (Transcript)

Trump’s First Full Address After Iran Strikes (Transcript)

Editor’s Notes: In this address, President Donald Trump provides a significant update on “Operation Epic Fury,” detailing military actions taken to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program and missile capabilities. The event also serves as a solemn ceremony to honor three extraordinary American heroes—Master Sergeant Roderick Edmonds, Command Sergeant Major Terry Richardson, and Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis—with the Congressional Medal of Honor. A highlight of the ceremony includes a moving appearance by a Polish soldier whose life was saved by the selfless actions of one of the posthumous honorees. This address captures a powerful moment of military resolve and national gratitude for those who have displayed unsurpassed courage in the line of duty. (March 2, 2026)

TRANSCRIPT:

Opening Remarks

DONALD TRUMP: Thank you very much, Chaplain Green. Wonderful job. Appreciate it. And thank everybody for being here, and please feel free to sit.

Update on Operation Epic Fury

So before we begin this important ceremony, and there’s no ceremony that can be much more important than this, let me provide a brief update on Operation Epic Fury.

Today, the United States military continues to carry out large scale combat operations in Iran to eliminate the grave threats posed to America by this terrible terrorist regime. Following our obliteration of Iran’s nuclear program and Operation Midnight Hammer a short while ago, we warned Iran not to make any attempt to rebuild at a different location because they were unable to use the ones that we so powerfully blew up, but they ignored those warnings and refused to cease their pursuit of nuclear weapons.

In addition, the regime’s conventional ballistic missile program was growing rapidly and dramatically, and this posed a very clear, colossal threat to America and our forces stationed overseas. The regime already had missiles capable of hitting Europe and our bases both local and overseas and would soon have had missiles capable of reaching our beautiful America.

The purpose of this fast growing missile program was to shield their nuclear weapon development and make it extraordinarily difficult for anyone to stop them from making these highly forbidden by us nuclear weapons. We were the ones that were complaining. We were the ones that wanted it stopped, but everybody was behind us. They just didn’t have the courage to say so. An Iranian regime armed with long range missiles and nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat to the Middle East, but also to the American people.

Our country itself would be under threat, and it was very nearly under threat. I was very proud to have knocked out the Iran nuclear deal by president Barack Hussein Obama. That was a horrible, horrible, dangerous document. They would have had nuclear weapons three years ago, and they would have used them. But I’ll not let that happen.

Iran’s History of Attacking the United States

For almost forty seven years, this regime has been attacking the United States and killing Americans. Every time you see someone with missing arms and legs or a face that’s been absolutely shattered violently, it was almost certainly caused by an Iran roadside bomb. They were put there by General Soleimani, who was the father of the roadside bomb. Very proudly, he thought, but I terminated him in my first term.

This was our last best chance to strike what we’re doing right now and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime, and they are indeed sick and sinister.

Military Objectives

Our objectives are clear.

First, we’re destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, and you see that happening on an hourly basis and their capacity to produce brand new ones and pretty good ones they make.

Second, we’re annihilating their navy. We’ve knocked out already ten ships. They’re at the bottom of the sea.

Third, we’re ensuring that the world’s number one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon. Never going to have a nuclear weapon. I said that from the beginning. They’re never going to have a nuclear weapon. They were on the road to getting one legitimately through a deal that was signed foolishly by our country.

And finally, we’re ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund, and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders. And we thought we had a deal, but then they backed out. And they came back, and we thought we had a deal, and they backed out. I said, you can’t deal with these people. You’ve got to do it the right way.

Honoring Fallen Service Members

Today, we grieve for the four heroic American service members who have been killed in action and send our love and support to their families. In their memory, we continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat this terrorist regime poses to the American people, and a threat indeed it is.

We have the strongest and most powerful by far military in the world, and we will easily prevail. We’re already substantially ahead of our time projections, but whatever the time is, it’s okay. Whatever it takes, we will always — and we have from right from the get beginning — we projected four to five weeks. But we have capability to go far longer than that.

We’ll do it. Whatever — somebody said, today, they said, “Oh, well, if the president wants to do it really quickly after that, he’ll get bored.” I don’t get bored. There’s nothing boring about this. Do you agree with that, Pete?

I don’t think there’s anything, Mister General. I think there’s nothing boring about it. Somebody actually said from the media, “I think he’ll get bored after about a week or two.” No. We don’t get bored. I never get bored. If I got bored, wouldn’t be standing here right now, I guarantee you that, to go through what I had to go through.

We also projected four weeks to terminate the military leadership. And as you know, that was done in about an hour, so we’re ahead of schedule there by a lot.