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President Trump Said He Was “A Little Upset” That the U.S. Military Sunk 46 Iranian Ships Rather Than Capturing Them, Because They Were High-Quality Ships — “Why Didn’t We Just Capture the Ship? We Could’ve Used It”

  • Rob Glenn
  • March 9, 2026
President Trump Said He Was “A Little Upset” That the U.S. Military Sunk 46 Iranian Ships Rather Than Capturing Them, Because They Were High-Quality Ships — “Why Didn’t We Just Capture the Ship? We Could’ve Used It”

President Donald Trump said Monday that he was briefly “upset” after learning U.S. forces had sunk dozens of Iranian vessels during the ongoing conflict with Iran instead of capturing them.

Speaking at the Republican Members Issues Conference, Trump described the destruction of Iran’s naval capabilities while recounting a conversation he said he had with military officials.

“I got a little upset with our people,” Trump told the audience. “I said, ‘What quality of ship?’ They said, ‘Excellent, sir. Top of the line.’ I said, ‘Why didn’t we just capture the ship? We could’ve used it. Why did we sink them?’”

According to Trump, military officials told him it was safer to destroy the vessels.

“They said, ‘It’s more fun to sink them,’” Trump said, drawing laughter from the crowd. “They like sinking them better. They say it’s safer to sink them. I guess it’s probably true.”

Trump claimed that U.S. forces had destroyed or sunk 46 Iranian ships during the conflict, which he said took roughly three and a half days.

The remarks came as the United States continues its military campaign against Iran under what the Pentagon has described as Operation Epic Fury.

According to an overview released by United States Central Command, the operation began on Feb. 28 and has involved strikes on thousands of targets across Iran aimed at dismantling the country’s military infrastructure and security apparatus.

CENTCOM said the campaign has targeted locations considered an imminent threat and has resulted in more than 50 Iranian ships being damaged or destroyed in the first 10 days of fighting.

Trump also used the remarks to argue that the war had significantly weakened Iran’s leadership and military forces.

“Their terrorist leaders are gone or counting down the minutes until they will be gone,” Trump said. “Think of it — we had leaders, and they’re gone, then we had new leaders, and they’re gone.”

The president has suggested the conflict could soon be nearing an end. During a press conference on Monday, Trump said the military operation could wrap up “very soon” as the United States approaches what he described as its primary military objectives.

However, top Pentagon officials have indicated the campaign is far from finished. In an interview with CBS News’ 60 Minutes on Sunday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military operation against Iran is still in its early phases, telling interviewer Major Garrett that “this is only just the beginning.” Hegseth noted that U.S. forces are continuing strikes as part of Operation Epic Fury, which involves tens of thousands of American troops targeting Iranian military infrastructure.

The war began when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iranian targets in late February, triggering a broader regional conflict that has already resulted in casualties on multiple sides and raised concerns about long-term instability in the Middle East.