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“Their Leaders Are All Gone, the Next Set of Leaders Are All Gone, and the Next Set of Leaders Are Mostly Gone,” — President Trump Boasts Military Success Against Iran

  • Rob Glenn
  • March 20, 2026
Trump Cancels Iran Talks — “Too Much Time Wasted on Traveling, Too Much Work!”

President Donald Trump boasted of devastating U.S. military success against Iran during a ceremony at the White House on March 20, 2026, where he presented the Commander-in-Chief Trophy to the Navy Midshipmen football team for their undefeated season against service academy rivals.

The event, marking the Navy team’s 11-2 record and back-to-back trophy wins, featured Trump highlighting Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-led campaign launched on February 28 under U.S. Central Command. The operation focuses on targeting Iranian regime infrastructure, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities, air defense systems, missile sites, and military airfields, using precision strikes from air, land, and sea, along with low-cost one-way attack drones.


Trump emphasized the destruction of Iran’s military capabilities. “Their Navy’s gone. Their air force is gone. Their anti-aircraft is all gone. It’s all gone. Their radar is all gone. Their leaders are all gone. The next set of leaders are all gone. And the next set of leaders are mostly gone. And now nobody wants to be a leader over there anymore. We’re having a hard time. We want to talk to them and there’s nobody to talk to. We have nobody to talk to. And you know what? We like it that way.”


Confirmed reports indicate the operation eliminated numerous high-ranking Iranian officials, beginning with strikes on February 28 that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, along with key figures such as Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, Major General Mohammad Pakpour, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh, and others in defense, intelligence, and security roles. Subsequent strikes through mid-March targeted additional leaders, including Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani on March 17, Minister of Intelligence Esmaeil Khatib on March 18, and IRGC Aerospace Force commander Mehdi Qureishi on March 20, contributing to an estimated total of around 40 officials killed, including unnamed Ministry of Intelligence personnel. Strikes also hit IRGC officials in Lebanon affiliated with Hezbollah.


The deaths prompted Iran to declare 40 days of mourning and appoint an interim leadership council, followed by the Assembly of Experts naming Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader on March 7. International observers noted risks of regime instability or further escalation, while U.S. and Israeli officials described the actions as advancing toward regime change.


Trump framed the campaign as essential to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, which he said the regime would use if obtained, and credited the rebuilt U.S. military, including Space Force, for enabling such dominance. He contrasted it with past administrations’ approaches and tied the success to broader assertions of American military superiority.