After ordering “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran over the weekend, President Donald Trump gave vague and inconsistent information to reporters from various news outlets about the ultimate goal of the military strikes.
Hours after the attack Saturday, Trump told the Washington Post he wanted “freedom” for Iranians. On Sunday, Trump told NBC News that the strikes were intended to eliminate Iran’s nuclear weapons program and the U.S. is “ahead of schedule.” Monday, the president indicated to Fox News that the goal was to “get rid” of the Iranian leadership.
“We haven’t even started hitting them hard,” Trump told CNN Monday. “The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon.”
The president also offered vague timelines for the operation – telling the New York Times four to five weeks and Axios three days if there was a deal. In a press conference Monday afternoon, Trump said again they had “projected” four to five weeks, before adding “we have capability to go far longer than that.”
“We’ll do whatever,” he continued.
The statements made through brief phone calls to reporters over the weekend left some confused about the reason for the U.S. and Israel launching the lethal campaign in Iran, which prompted retaliatory strikes against American and European bases across the region.
“Trump is basically calling up every journalist in his phone to workshop different timelines and goals for his war,” Gregg Carlstrom, a Middle East correspondent for The Economist, wrote on X. “He's throwing spaghetti at the wall.”
Trump’s scattered approach to responding to comments on the attacks was reflected in an MSNOW report, in which reporters said the president called them for “less than a minute.”
When contacted for comment by The Independent, the White House pointed to Trump’s comments Monday afternoon.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also faced questions from reporters Monday morning, where he attempted to shed more light on the purpose behind the strikes
In the 40-minute press conference, he refuted allegations that the attacks were part of an effort to force regime change in Iran, insisting they were “finishing” a war, rather than starting another.
The defense secretary also refused to answer questions about Trump’s proposed “four-week” timeline Trump had earlier floated to reporters.
“It's the typical NBC gotcha-type question,” Hegseth said after a reporter asked him about Trump’s four-week timeline claim. “President Trump has all the latitude in the world to talk about how long it may or may not take,” Hegseth added.
In Monday’s press conference, Trump’s first since the U.S. struck Iran, the president finally outlined four goals in attacking Iran – to destroy the country’s missile capabilities, annihilate Iran’s navy, ensure it cannot obtain a nuclear weapon and end the Iranian regime.
But hours earlier, Trump told CNN: “I don’t want to see it go on too long. I always thought it would be four weeks, and we’re a little ahead of schedule.”
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