STORY: President Donald Trump said on Monday (March 9) that the United States could consider its military campaign against Iran a success, but added that U.S. actions would continue.

Trump told reporters that the U.S. operation in Iran is “ahead of our initial timeline by a lot” and that American forces have begun targeting Iran’s drone‑manufacturing capabilities. According to him, drone launches from Iran have dropped by 83%.

Asked about the attack on an Iranian girls’ school, Trump said the incident is under investigation. He also said the United States is “very much on top” of monitoring whether Iran has activated any “sleeper cells” inside the country.

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VIDEO SHOWS: SOUNDBITES FROM U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: REFILING EDIT TO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL SOUNDBITE (SHOT NO. 21)

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: DORAL, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (MARCH 9, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ARRIVING TO PRESS CONFERENCE

2. WHITE FLASH

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

“We continue to target Iran's drone and missile capabilities. Their drones are way down. Their drone manufacturing has been hit, starting today, we know all of the places they manufacture, the drones, and they're being hit one after another. Their missile capability is down to about 10%, maybe less."

4. WHITE FLASH

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

“But it's all resulting in a 90% decline in various things, but in particular, Iranian missile launchers. And 83% drop in drone launches. As you know, the drone launches are pretty well shot. But we're in over 90% decline in the Iranian missile launchers, which is very hard to reproduce and very hard to get."

6. WHITE FLASH

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

“So now we have low cost interceptors effectively combating Iranian drones and our B-2 bombers recently dropped dozens of 2,000 pound bombs that destroyed missile launchers all over Iran and buried deep under Iranian soil. In many cases, the soil was no match. And we're also annihilating the manufacturing base that the regime uses to build drones and missiles at a rate that nobody thought was possible. We're knocking them out, we know where they all are. We're knocking them out. ”

8. WHITE FLASH

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

“We're ahead of our initial timeline by a lot. I would say that we probably would not have thought after a month we'd be here. In addition to the fact that we've taken out the leadership twice and maybe three times.”

10. WHITE FLASH

11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

“As we continue Operation Epic Fury, we're also focused on keeping energy and oil flowing to the world. And I will not allow a terrorist regime to hold the world hostage and attempt to stop the blow to our supply and if Iran does anything to do that, they'll get hit at a much, much harder level. I will take out those targets that were easy and that I mentioned just before, and we'll take them out so quickly they'll never be able to recover, ever.”

12. WHITE FLASH

13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

“The United States is offering political risk insurance to any tankers operating in the Gulf. So we're putting up a risk insurance that will perhaps go alongside of them for protection. We don't think it will be necessary if it is. And if they do anything, the price will be incalculable."

14. WHITE FLASH

15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"We're also waiving certain oil related sanctions to reduce prices. So we have sanctions on some countries. We're going to take those sanctions off the list. Strait (of Hormuz) is out. And who knows, maybe we won't have to put them more. There'll be so much peace. But when the time comes, the U.S. Navy and its partners will escort tankers through the strait if needed. I hope it's not going to be needed, but if it's needed, we'll escort them right through.”

16. WHITE FLASH

17. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, IN EXCHANGE WITH OFF-CAMERA REPORTER:

REPORTER: “Thank you, Mr. President. On Iran, you called it an ‘excursion’, you said it would be over soon. Are you thinking this week it will be over soon?”

TRUMP: “I think soon and very soon. Look, everything they have is gone, including their leadership. In fact, they have two levels of leadership, and even actually, as it turns out, more than that. But two levels of leadership are gone. Most people have never even heard about the leaders that they're talking about, so.”

18. WHITE FLASH

19. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, IN EXCHANGE WITH OFF-CAMERA REPORTER:

REPORTER: “So a Tomahawk missile likely destroyed that Iranian girls school. So will the Americans, will the U.S. accept any responsibility?

TRUMP: Well, I haven't seen it. And I will say that the Tomahawk, which is one of the most powerful weapons around, is used by, you know, sold and used by other countries. You know, that. And whether it's Iran, who also has some Tomahawks, I wish they had more. But whether it's Iran or somebody else, the fact that a Tomahawk, a Tomahawk is very generic, it's sold to other countries. But that's being investigated right now.”

20. WHITE FLASH

21. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, IN EXCHANGE WITH OFF-CAMERA REPORTER:

REPORTER: "Mr. President, you just suggested that Iran somehow got its hands on a Tomahawk and bombed its own elementary school on the first day of the war. But you're the only person in your government saying this. Even your defense secretary wouldn't say that when he was asked standing over your shoulder on your plane on Saturday. Why are you the only person saying this?"

TRUMP: "Because I just don't know enough about it. I think it's something that I was told is under investigation. But Tomahawks are are used by others. As you know, numerous other nations have Tomahawks. They buy them from us. But I will certainly, whatever the report shows, I'm willing to live with that report."

22. WHITE FLASH

23. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, IN EXCHANGE WITH OFF-CAMERA REPORTER:

REPORTER: “Mr. President, you've said the war is, quote, very complete. But your defense secretary says this is just the beginning. So which is it and how long should Americans be (INAUDIBLE)?”

TRUMP: “Well, I think you could say both. It's the beginning of building a new country. But they certainly they have no navy. They have no air force. They have no anti-aircraft equipment. It's all been blown up. They have no radar. They have no telecommunications and they have no leadership. It's all gone. So, you know, you could look at that statement. We could call it a tremendous success right now as we leave here, I could call it, or we could go further and we're going to go further. But the big risk in that war has been over for three days. We wiped them out the first in the first two days.”

24. WHITE FLASH

25. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

“A very positive thing. I mean, this was an excursion that a lot of people wouldn't have done. I knew oil prices would go up if I did this, and they've gone up probably less than I thought they'd go up. But I don't think anybody thought we were going to be this quickly successful. This was a military success, the likes of which people haven't seen. We have the best military. We have the best equipment.”

26. WHITE FLASH

27. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, IN EXCHANGE WITH OFF-CAMERA REPORTER:

REPORTER: “Has Iran activated any sleeper cells inside the U.S.? There's reports that they have pressed that trigger button to activate those cells, at least abroad.”

TRUMP: “Well, we've been trying for a long time. We've been very much on top of it. One of the things we have to do is get the Democrats to stop the Democrat shutdown, because, as you know, the apparatus that looks into that, Schumer and the Democrats have shut it down.”

28. WHITE FLASH

29. TRUMP LISTENING TO REPORTER