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“We Could Take Them Out by This Afternoon, in Fact, Within an Hour, They Literally Would Never Be Able to Build That Country Back,” President Trump Boasts Against Iran

  • Rob Glenn
  • March 11, 2026
“We Could Take Them Out by This Afternoon, in Fact, Within an Hour, They Literally Would Never Be Able to Build That Country Back,” President Trump Boasts Against Iran

President Donald Trump delivered a series of forceful remarks Wednesday as he spoke with reporters outside the White House, offering an emphatic defense of the ongoing U.S. military campaign against Iran while boasting about the overwhelming capabilities of the American armed forces. The exchange came on the eleventh day of the conflict, part of a broader military effort known as Operation Epic Fury.

Asked about the status of the operation, Trump framed the campaign as both historically significant and highly successful. “It’s day 11 and as you know, we’re doing something that nobody ever thought was possible to do,” the president said, praising the strength of the U.S. military. “Our military is the best. It’s the most powerful in the world and they’re hitting them very hard.” Trump argued the conflict represents a response to decades of Iranian actions, adding, “This is 47 years of abuse and killing lots of people. Killing and maiming lots of people.”

The president repeatedly emphasized the scale of damage inflicted on Iranian forces. When asked what additional military steps might be necessary to bring the operation to a close, Trump replied that the current strategy would likely continue. “More of the same and we’ll see how that all comes out,” he said, before outlining what he described as major losses for Iran’s military capabilities. “Right now they are—they’ve lost their navy. They’ve lost their air force. They have no anti-aircraft apparatus at all. They have no radar. Their leaders are gone.”

Trump also suggested the United States had deliberately refrained from targeting certain sites that could permanently cripple the country. “We’re leaving certain things that if we take them out—or we could take them out by this afternoon, in fact within an hour—they literally would never be able to build that country back,” he said, underscoring his view that U.S. forces hold overwhelming dominance in the conflict.

According to information released by U.S. Central Command, the campaign launched at 1:15 a.m. on February 28 and has already involved thousands of strikes on military targets across Iran. The first ten days of Operation Epic Fury reportedly included more than 5,000 strikes against facilities such as command and control centers, missile sites, air defense systems, naval vessels, and intelligence infrastructure. The operation has deployed a wide array of military assets including B-1, B-2, and B-52 bombers, F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters, MQ-9 Reaper drones, guided-missile destroyers, and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

Operation Epic Fury First 10 Days Fact Sheet (CENTCOM)

During the press exchange, Trump repeatedly returned to the theme of American military superiority, stating that the scale of destruction inflicted on Iranian forces was unprecedented. “We’ve knocked out their navy. We’ve knocked out their air force. We’ve knocked out all of their anti-defense,” he said. “Nobody has ever seen anything like it. We have the greatest military in the world by far. Not even close.” He added that the campaign was intended as a response to decades of Iranian actions abroad, saying the country was now “paying a big price.”

The president concluded the remarks by reiterating confidence in the broader trajectory of U.S. policy and military strength. “We have decimated that country,” Trump said while discussing security in the Strait of Hormuz. “They’re paying a big price now for 47 years of killing.” The comments reflected a combative tone as the administration continues its military operations in the region while signaling that further action against Iranian targets remains possible.