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Trump Says If He Left Iran Right Now “It Would Take Them 10 Years or More to Rebuild — But I’m Still Not Declaring It Over”

  • Rob Glenn
  • March 15, 2026
Trump Says If He Left Iran Right Now “It Would Take Them 10 Years or More to Rebuild — But I’m Still Not Declaring It Over”

President Donald Trump said that Iran’s military has been so heavily damaged by U.S. operations that it would take the country a decade or longer to recover, while emphasizing that he is not yet ready to formally declare victory in the conflict.

Speaking with reporters during a press gaggle, Trump was asked whether he would officially declare victory over Iran following what he described as major military setbacks for the country. Trump rejected the idea of making such a declaration despite expressing confidence about the extent of the damage inflicted. “No, I don’t want to do that. There’s no reason to,” Trump said. “I think I just say they’re decimated. But I would do that. I think that we’ve done damage to them right now. If we left right now, it would take them 10 years and more to rebuild. But I’m still not declaring it over. Our military is incredible. The job they’ve done is just incredible.”

The comments came as Trump outlined what he said were significant successes in the U.S. military campaign targeting Iran’s capabilities. During the broader exchange with reporters, he argued that Iranian military infrastructure, missile capacity, and leadership had been severely weakened by the strikes.

Trump also used the moment to criticize media coverage of the conflict, claiming that some reports and images circulating online had been generated using artificial intelligence and falsely portrayed public support for Iran’s leadership. He questioned reporters about whether they were aware that some widely shared images of large pro-government rallies in Iran were “AI generated,” arguing that such reports misrepresented conditions inside the country.

Despite his confidence in the impact of the military campaign, Trump reiterated that the conflict had not yet reached a point where he was prepared to formally declare it finished, saying only that the damage to Iran’s military was already substantial.