Trump on Iran: 'We Want a Total Victory, Not 93%'

Rastinews — U.S. President Donald Trump addressed military operations against Iran and talks with Tehran in remarks at a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

"Iran has been at war with America since 1979"

Trump said the United States had not started a war with Iran, and argued Washington had simply prevented Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

"Iran has been waging war against America since 1979," Trump said. "This should have been dealt with long ago."

No word on when the war will end

Trump said his administration had struck back against Iran and won the war. He said the only decision left was when to bring the conflict to a close.

He gave no details on how the war would end, saying: "We want to make sure we have a total victory, not a 93% victory. This is going to be a total victory, for sure."

"I hope we don't have to destroy more of that country"

Trump claimed U.S. strikes had done major damage to Iran's military capability, and said it would take Tehran at least 25 years to rebuild what it had lost.

"I hope we don't have to destroy more of that country," he said.

Trump argued that an end to the war with Iran would make the world safer and more peaceful, and said significant progress had already been made toward that goal.

18 U.S. troops killed

Trump said the campaign against Iran began seven months ago, though the heaviest fighting lasted only a few weeks. He said 18 U.S. service members were killed during the operations.

He thanked the troops stationed in the region, saying they had worked to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Recalls Beirut bombing

Trump also referred to the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, which killed 241 American service members.

He said Iran-backed Hezbollah was behind that attack, and linked it to his administration's current policy and military action toward Iran.