Washington — President Trump is speaking to reporters at his Miami-area golf club, his first formal news conference since the U.S. and Israel began strikes on Iran.
Mr. Trump told reporters he expects the war to end “very soon.”
“We’re very proud to be involved in this and it’s going to be ended soon,” he said. “And if it starts up again, … they’ll be hit even harder.”
The president, when asked, clarified that he doesn’t mean it’ll be over next week, but “soon.” He also said the U.S. is achieving “major strides toward completing our military objective.”
“Some people could say they’re pretty well complete,” he said of U.S. military objectives. “We’ve wiped every single force in Iran out, very completely.”
Mr. Trump told reporters the U.S. has “left some of the most important targets for later,” saying those targets involve “electricity production and many other things.”
“So we’re not looking to do that if we don’t have to,” he said. “But they’re the kind of things that are very easy to hit, but very devastating if they are hit. We are waiting to see what happens before we hit them.”
The president said Iran will get hit “at a much, much harder level” if Iran does anything to stop the world’s oil supply, as crude oil prices soar and commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz nearly grinds to a halt.
“I will not allow a terrorist regime to hold the world hostage and attempt to stop the globe’s oil supply,” he said.
The president reiterated that the U.S. is offering political risk insurance to any tankers in the Persian Gulf, and the U.S. could escort tankers through the strait if needed.
“If they do anything, the price will be incalculable,” the president said of potential Iranian operations against oil tankers.
Earlier Monday afternoon, the president told CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang, “I think the war is very complete, pretty much.” On the Strait of Hormuz, which carries around 20% of the world’s oil, the president said he’s “thinking about taking it over.”
The president made those remarks the same afternoon the Department of Defense posted on X, “We have Only Just Begun to Fight” and “no mercy.”
On Sunday, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was named as Iran’s new supreme leader, a development the president is “not happy” about, as he told Fox News. Khamenei is the son of the late leader killed on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli military operation.
The president’s remarks to reporters will also come after markets close. Markets are down since the war began over a week ago, and oil prices have jumped — though major stock indexes closed in positive territory on Monday after the price of oil dropped over the course of the day, paring back a double-digit surge earlier Monday.
So far, seven American service members have died in the U.S.-Iran war.
Mr. Trump, who has taken questions and a number of phone calls from reporters in the days since the war began, said on Truth Social he’s attending a fundraiser event for House Speaker Mike Johnson before the news conference. The Trump National Doral golf club is hosting the Republican Members Issues Conference, an annual retreat for congressional Republicans as they plot for the November midterm elections.
How to watch President Trump’s press conference
- What: President Trump gives update on the war in Iran
- Date: Monday, March 9, 2026
- Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Trump National Doral Miami
- Online stream: Live on CBS News 24/7
Note: Streaming plans are subject to change
