U.S. President Donald Trump said ​on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) that “we ⁠won” the Iran war but that the United States will ‌stay in the fight to finish the ‌job.

“You never like ‌to ⁠say too early you ⁠won. We won,” Mr. Trump told a campaign-style rally in Hebron, Kentucky. “In ​the first hour ‌it was over.”

He also said the United States had knocked out 58 Iranian ‌naval ships.‌ This came just hours after he said the figure was 28 ‌mine-laying ⁠ships

“We hit 28 mine ships as of this moment,” Mr. Trump told reporters during a trip to Cincinnati, Ohio.

On Tuesday(March 11, 2026), the U.S. military gave a figure of 16 mine-laying boats being destroyed as Tehran seeks to choke the vital Strait of Hormuz to oil traffic amid the war.

Mr. Trump has seesawed ​on Iran, crediting the U.S. military for significantly ⁠degrading Iran’s military but resisting a speedy end to ‌the conflict.

“We don’t want to leave early do we?” Mr. Trump said. “We got to finish the job.”

He said the United States ‌has “virtually destroyed Iran.” He seemed to ​signal that the U.S. would continue ⁠the fight for now.

“We don’t want ⁠to go back every two years,” ‌he said.