President Donald Trump Tells CNN “Big Wave” Still to Come in U.S. Conflict With Iran

President Donald Trump told CNN in a phone interview Monday that while the United States is already striking Iranian targets, a larger escalation may still be ahead.

In the nine-minute conversation with CNN’s Jake Tapper, the president said the U.S. military is “knocking the crap” out of Iran but added that the “big wave hasn’t even happened” yet.

Trump said he believes the conflict is progressing ahead of schedule, estimating he initially expected it to last four weeks. He declined to predict an exact timeline but suggested operations are moving quickly.

The president also expressed surprise at what he described as Iran’s retaliation against several Arab nations in the region, including Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. He said those countries were not expected to become heavily involved but are now actively engaged.

On the issue of leadership inside Iran, Trump said it is unclear who is currently in charge following U.S. strikes that he claims eliminated dozens of Iranian leaders. He described the situation as uncertain and said even Iranian officials may not know who will emerge next.

Trump reiterated that diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear program were unsuccessful, arguing that negotiations failed because Iran would not agree to end uranium enrichment. He defended the current military strategy and referenced past U.S. actions, including the 2020 drone strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

The president also criticized the Obama-era nuclear deal, calling it insufficient and saying it would have allowed Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.

The interview ended with Trump expressing confidence that the U.S. approach is working, though he acknowledged the situation remains fluid.

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