Trump claimed Iran victory as ceasefires and talks gave way to strikes

President Donald Trump announced the start of major U.S. combat operations against Iran on Feb. 28 and said on March 1 that the war would last "four to five weeks."

On March 2, the president repeated his estimate of the war's duration, saying it would be "four to five weeks," but added that the United States had the "capability to go far longer than that."

Today, Operation Epic Fury, the Iran war, has lasted far longer than four-to-five week estimate – nearly 19 weeks to date.

Since the war began, Trump has claimed a U.S. victory or decisive military success over Iran at least 10 times, including seven claims PolitiFact documented in mid-March and additional claims from the president in April and June.

The president has issued threats of escalation, at least one agreement for a ceasefire, and has mentioned peace talks multiple times only to be followed by more strikes from both sides.

Trump declares victory, but Iran war keeps escalating

USA TODAY reviewed Trump's public remarks, Truth Social posts and press statements, and other documented claims. Here is what we found:

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Examining the impact of the Iran war

While campaigning in 2024 for his second presidential term, Donald Trump presented himself as an anti-war candidate, saying he would stop wars and not start them. The U.S. and Israeli war on Iran started Feb. 28, 2026. Trump said June 7 that he didn't guarantee there would be no wars if he were back in office.

Deaths

At least 13 United States service members have been killed:

• Six in a drone strike in Kuwait on March 1.
• One who died of wounds on March 8 from an earlier attack in Saudi Arabia.
• Six who were killed in the crash of a KC-135 refueling tanker aircraft on March 12.

Death estimates for non-U.S. military and civilians range from about 9,000 to 18,300, according to militaryspend.org. Casualty figures are disputed and independently verified totals are not available.

Wounded

An estimated 413 to 553 U.S. service members have been wounded, depending on sources and counting methods, according to militaryspend.org.

At least 45,000 non-U.S. military and civilians have been injured, according to health-ministry casualty figures from Iran, Lebanon and Israel reported by Al Jazeera and the World Health Organization.

Cost

Cost of the war varies, with estimates from $34 billion to $42 billion in defense spending, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Broader economic costs to U.S. consumers and taxpayers are higher, with estimates reaching $132 billion, according to Moody's Analytics.

CONTRIBUTING Gabrielle Banks

SOURCES

Reuters: Israel, U.S. launch strikes on Iran; Reuters: Top U.S. general outlines initial timeline of military operation; USNI News: Operation Epic Fury and Iranian retaliation; Britannica: 2026 Iran war; GlobalSecurity: Iran war (April 4 update); Senate Democrats transcript: Trump aboard Air Force One (March 7); Senate Democrats transcript: Trump National Doral Miami (March 9); Stars and Stripes: CENTCOM March 12 update; Wall Street Journal live coverage; UCSB Presidency Project: Trump remarks aboard Air Force One; PBS NewsHour: Timeline of Trump's shifting statements; New York Times: Trump, NATO and Iran; Roll Call Factba.se transcript (March 19); ANI post on X; Trump Truth Social post; CNBC: Trump, Iran war and energy infrastructure; Senate Democrats transcript: Cabinet meeting (March 26); CNBC: Kharg Island, Hormuz and peace deal; National Security Info: Epic Fury March timeline; The Hill: Trump ceasefire request; NBC News: Strait of Hormuz deadline; White House: Peace Through Strength / Operation Epic Fury; Yahoo News: Trump says war is ending; ABC News: Strait of Hormuz remarks; Economic Times: "No more Mr. Nice Guy" remarks; Reuters: Iran deal talks and ceasefire uncertainty; Reuters: Trump sees swift end to war; Reuters: Rubio on Iran talks; U.S. News: Iran and U.S. trade air strikes; CNBC: Trump on Iran war negotiations; ABC News: U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding; GlobalSecurity: Iran war operational report; National Security Info: Epic Fury timeline; Reuters: Iran targets Bahrain and Kuwait after U.S. strikes; The Guardian: Trump declares ceasefire; USA TODAY live updates

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump claimed Iran victory as ceasefires and talks gave way to strikes

Reporting by Ramon Padilla and George Petras, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 12:48 PM.