President Donald Trump said the United States and its allies have not completed their military campaign against Iran, adding a new layer of uncertainty about the scope and duration of the conflict that began more than a week ago.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Trump indicated that while operations have been successful, they are not over. "We're not finished yet," Trump said, according to remarks reported by multiple outlets . The statement followed a series of public assessments from the president and his top officials that have varied significantly over a short period.
The military action, which began Feb. 28 with coordinated US and Israeli strikes, has resulted in heavy bombardment of Iranian military infrastructure. The initial attack killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to official statements from Washington and Jerusalem . Iranian state media confirmed his death and announced his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, had been named as his successor .
Trump's latest comments signal that the operation will continue in coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The president said decisions on the conflict's end would be made jointly with Israel, though he emphasized he would retain final authority . "We've been talking. I'll make a decision at the right time, but everything's going to be taken into account," Trump said .
The White House had previously suggested the conflict might last between four and six weeks, but Trump has avoided committing to any fixed timeline . At a gathering of House Republicans in Florida, he described the action as a "short-term excursion" while simultaneously calling for "ultimate victory" over Iran .
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth offered a different assessment Sunday, posting on social media that the US has "Only Just Begun to Fight" . Asked about the apparent contradiction between his own "very complete" assessment and Hegseth's statement, Trump said both could be true. "It's the beginning of building a new country," he told reporters .
The shifting statements extend beyond timelines to the fundamental objectives of the campaign. Shortly after the strikes began, Trump urged Iranians on social media to "seize control" of their destiny and overthrow their government . But days later, Hegseth told reporters the mission was "not a so-called regime-change war" and was "laser-focused" on destroying Iranian missiles, naval assets, and nuclear infrastructure .
Trump has since returned to the theme of political change, expressing disappointment with the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new leader and suggesting the US would need to be involved in any future leadership arrangement .
The administration's justification for launching the strikes has also shifted. Initially, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz cited Article 51 of the UN Charter, the right to self-defense . Secretary of State Marco Rubio later said the US acted because it knew Israel was about to strike and believed Iran would retaliate against American forces . Trump himself offered another explanation, saying he believed Iran was preparing to attack first. "So, if anything, I might have forced Israel's hand," he said .
The conflict has had significant regional and economic consequences. Oil prices have fluctuated sharply, briefly rising above $100 per barrel before falling back . The US has ordered the departure of nonessential staff and families from multiple diplomatic posts in the region, including Saudi Arabia and Turkey, marking the largest such reductions since the Iraq war began in 2003 . Saudi Arabia reported intercepting 12 drones fired toward its Shaybah oil field .
Casualties continue to mount. A 26-year-old Army staff sergeant from Kentucky was identified as the seventh US service member killed in the conflict . Israeli officials reported one man killed by Iranian missile fire, raising Israel's death toll to 11 .
One of the deadliest incidents occurred within the first 24 hours of the war, when a missile struck an elementary school in southern Iran, killing more than 160 people, many of them children . Trump has denied US responsibility, suggesting Iran may have carried out the attack using Tomahawk missiles, a weapon he claimed Iran possesses . Military analysts and news organizations, including the AP and BBC, have noted that Tomahawk missiles are exclusively US-operated in this conflict, and there is no evidence Iran has access to them . When pressed on why he was the only official making this claim, Trump responded, "Because I just don't know enough about it," adding that he would accept whatever an investigation finds .
The strikes occurred shortly after what diplomats had described as promising nuclear talks. Oman's foreign minister, who was mediating negotiations, said a peace deal was "within our reach" just before the bombing began . Iran had reportedly agreed to never stockpile nuclear material for a bomb, according to Omani officials .
Trump said Monday that the war began because Iran was starting work on a new, protected site for developing nuclear weapons material, claiming it would have been "virtually impossible" to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon without action . US intelligence assessments prior to the conflict indicated Iran had not restarted a weapons program, though it had positioned itself to be able to produce a device if it chose to do so .
Senate Democrats are demanding public hearings on the conflict. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said they would "use every lever that we have to stop business as usual" unless Republicans agree to debate the war's authorization . A war powers resolution requiring congressional approval for further attacks failed last week largely along party lines .