Trump rates Iran war '15 out of 10', warns nuclear threat was days away during tech roundtable

President Trump maintained the action was a proactive American move to secure regional stability and dismissed suggestions that allies influenced it
PUBLISHED MAR 4, 2026
Speaking during a meeting on energy and data centers, President Donald Trump defended the military action as preemptive and said Iran was close to posing a nuclear threat (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Speaking during a meeting on energy and data centers, President Donald Trump defended the military action as preemptive and said Iran was close to posing a nuclear threat (Win McNamee/Getty Images)


WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump declared that the ongoing military operation against Iran was a major success during a White House roundtable event with tech companies on Wednesday, March 4.

While the meeting was intended to address energy costs linked to the rapid build-out of data centers, the president noted that those in attendance "probably want to speak about war."

Trump provided a glowing assessment of the conflict's opening days, rating the war effort a "15 out of 10."

"We’re doing very well on the war front, to put it mildly," the president added, echoing recent updates from other administration officials regarding the "amazing thing that's taking place."

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a Medal of Honor Ceremony in the East Room of the White House on March 02, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump awarded three soldiers the highest military decoration; Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds, who died in 1985, for shielding Jewish prisoners from Nazi guards during World War II; then-Staff Sgt. Terry Richardson for saving 85 lives of fellow soldiers during the Vietnam War; and Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis who died in the Afghanistan War when he shielded another soldier from a suicide bomber. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump arrives for a Medal of Honor Ceremony in the East Room of the White House on March 02, 2026, in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Preemptive action to prevent nuclear threat

The president used the event to double down on his administration's rationale for the conflict, asserting that the strikes were necessary to head off Iranian aggression.

Trump claimed that if the US had not acted within two weeks, the Iranian regime would have possessed a nuclear weapon.



He further suggested that the US had to strike first to prevent Iran from attacking Israel and possibly the United States.

"I think if we didn’t do it first, they would have done it to Israel and give us a shot if that was possible," Trump told the tech leaders, framing the assault as a vital defensive measure.

Iranian leadership and missiles rapidly depleted



The president reported that Iran’s military infrastructure was being systematically dismantled, stating that its "missiles are being wiped out rapidly, their launchers are being wiped out."

He described the nation as "out of control," noting that the regime had even turned its fire on its own neighbors and former allies.

Regarding the future of the Iranian government, Trump said that the senior leadership was "rapidly going."

"Everybody that seems to want to be a leader, they end up dead," he remarked, suggesting he currently has no specific view on who might lead the country next.

Trump defends war decision and denies foreign pressure

A plume of smoke rises after an explosion on March 2, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. The United States and Israel continued their joint attacks that erupted on February 28. Iran retaliated by firing waves of missiles and drones at Israel, and targeting U.S. allies in the region. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
A plume of smoke rises after an explosion on March 2, 2026, in Tehran, Iran (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

The president's comments on Wednesday added to the evolving accounts of why the US initiated the war.

While Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previously cited the president's "good feeling" about an imminent Iranian threat to US forces, Trump reiterated his belief that "they were getting ready to attack others."

Trump rejected claims of being pressured by foreign leaders, maintaining that the decision was a proactive American move to secure the region.

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