Trump, Iranian leader project strength as war nears 3week mark
Mar 20, 2026
As the war between the United States and Iran approaches the three-week mark, President Donald Trump and Irans new supreme leader are projecting strength.Speaking at an event at the White House on Friday, Trump suggested the Uni
ted States is doing extremely well in the conflict.They had a Navy two weeks ago. They have no Navy anymore. Its all at the bottom of the sea, he said in front of the U.S. Navy football team.He added that the United States will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons, one of the reasons he has cited for launching the operation with Israel on Feb. 28.Meanwhile, Irans supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a statement Friday commemorating the Persian New Year. Khamenei did not read the statement himself and has not been seen publicly since his father was killed and he assumed the leadership role. Instead, it was read aloud on state media.In the statement, Khamenei commended Iranians for their resilience since the war began, claiming Irans military has delivered a dizzying blow to its enemies.The supreme leader also cautioned Irans media organizations to refrain from focusing on weakness, saying the enemy could otherwise achieve its goals. The comments were somewhat similar to remarks from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday, when he criticized U.S. news organizations for asking tough questions about the conflict.While both leaders are trying to rally support, questions remain about how the conflict will end and whether it could involve U.S. troops on the ground.The Associated Press reported that the United States is deploying about 2,500 additional Marines, along with three more warships, to the Middle East. The U.S. and the United Kingdom also entered into an agreement allowing the United States to use U.K. bases to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
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