Trump says five-month Iran campaign outpaced years of war in Afghanistan

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday defended the military campaign against Iran, saying the operation had achieved more in five months than initially expected and comparing it to the years-long U.S. wars in Afghanistan, Vietnam and Korea.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Thurmont, Maryland, Trump said the United States had made rapid progress in weakening Iran’s military capabilities.

“We’re in there for five months,” Trump said. “We’ve done a much bigger job, much more important job than we originally anticipated.”

The president contrasted the operation with previous U.S. military engagements, noting that American forces remained in Vietnam for two decades and in Afghanistan and Korea for many years.

“If you look at Vietnam, they were in there for twenty years. You look at Afghanistan, they were in there for many years. You look at any one of the wars — Korea, any one of them — they’re in there for many years,” Trump said.

Trump also claimed the U.S. military had severely degraded Iran’s military capabilities.

“We have obliterated their military capacity. Again, they’ve got some left, but soon they won’t have some left,” he said.

The United States launched its war in Afghanistan in October 2001 following the Sept. 11 attacks. The conflict became America’s longest war, lasting nearly 20 years. U.S. and allied forces withdrew in August 2021, after which the Islamic Emirate regained control of the country. More than 2,400 U.S. soldiers were killed in the war in Afghanistan.