Name: FULL SPECIAL REPORT: Trump makes 1st public remarks on strikes in Iran
Uploaded: 2026-03-02T23:01:43.000Z
Duration: 14 min 8 s
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We are coming on the air because President Trump is expected to make his first comments from the White House about the attack on Iran, the death of the supreme Leader and the loss of four American service members.

The president's making these comments at a Medal of Honor ceremony, but

many are listening to what he will say about this operation in Iran.

ABC's Chief Global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz is monitoring that closely, especially more on the intelligence behind that attack.

Well, we did Secretary of Defense, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth talk about the operation this morning.

He said we didn't start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it.

He said Iran's stubborn and self evident nuclear pursuits and their targeting of global shipping lanes are one of the reasons they wanted to go after Iran.

But we have had really very, very few comments.

He's done some individual phone interviews with people, but

he has not had a conference about why he started this, what he is going to do.

And the most relevant question, how does this end?

We've seen these attacks all seen these attacks all across the Gulf states to civilian, with two civilian targets to bases.

We have four service members who have already been killed and several others already injured.

The president did say when this started on a truth social post that that's what happens in war.

And the defense secretary confirmed this morning the death of four service members in a retaliatory attack by Iran.

I want to bring in our chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce on that because, Mary, the President has received some support from US Lawmakers, also some criticism even from within his own party.

Looks like the President's about to speak.

Appreciate it and thank everybody for being here and please feel free to sit.

So before we begin this important ceremony, and

there's no ceremony that can be much more important than this, let me provide a brief update on Operation Epic Fury today.

The United States military continues to carry out large scale combat operations in Iran to eliminate the grave threats posed to America by this terrible terrorist regime following our obliteration of Iran's nuclear program and Operation Midnight Hammer.

A short while ago, we warned Iran not to make any attempt to rebuild at a different location because they were unable to use the ones that we so powerfully blew up.

But they ignored those warnings and refused to cease their pursuit of nuclear weapons.

In addition, the regime's conventional ballistic missile program was growing rapidly and dramatically.

And this posed a very clear, colossal threat to America and our forces stationed overseas.

The regime already had missiles capable of hitting Europe and our bases, both local and overseas, and

would soon have had missiles capable of reaching our beautiful America.

The purpose of this fast growing missile program was to shield their nuclear weapon development and make it extraordinarily difficult for anyone to stop them from making these highly forbidden by US Nuclear weapons.

We were the ones that were complaining, we were the ones that wanted it stopped, but

They just didn't have the courage to say so.

An Iranian regime armed with long range missiles and nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat to the Middle east, but

Our country itself would be under threat and it was very nearly under threat.

I was very proud to have knocked out the Iran nuclear deal by President Barack Hussein Obama.

That was a horrible, horrible, dangerous document.

They would have had nuclear weapons three years ago and they would have used them.

For almost 47 years, this regime has been attacking the United States and killing Americans.

Every time you see someone with missing arms and legs or a face that's been absolutely shattered violently, it was almost certainly caused by an Iran roadside bomb.

They were put there by General Soleimani, who was the father of the roadside bomb.

This was our last best chance to strike what we're doing right now and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime.

First, we're destroying Iran's missile capabilities.

And you see that happening on an hourly basis and their capacity to produce brand new ones and pretty good ones they make.

Third, we're ensuring that the world's number one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon.

They're never going to have a nuclear weapon.

They were on the road to getting one legitimately through a deal that was signed foolishly by our country.

And finally, we are ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders.

then they backed out and they came back and we thought we had a deal and they backed out.

I said, you can't deal with these people.

Today we grieve for the four heroic American service members who have been killed in action and send our love and support to their families.

We continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat this terrorist regime poses to the American people.

We have the strongest and most powerful by far military in the world, and we will easily prevail.

We're already substantially ahead of our time projections, but whatever the time is, it's okay.

Right from the beginning, we projected four to five weeks, but

we have capability to go far longer than that.

Whatever somebody said today, they said, oh, well, if the president wants to do it really quickly after that, he'll get bored.

I don't think there's anything, Mr. General.

Somebody actually said from the media, I think you'll get bored after about a week or two.

If I got bored, I wouldn't be standing here right now.

We also projected four weeks to terminate the military leadership.

And as you know, that was done in about an hour.

So we're ahead of schedule there by a lot.

But please join me in thanking every American service member who bravely is standing in harm's way.

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FULL SPECIAL REPORT: Trump makes 1st public remarks on strikes in Iran

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