Trump says Iran started war with U.S., warns its missiles can reach Europe and could eventually threaten American cities

President Donald Trump defended the U.S. war with Iran at a campaign rally in Corinth, Mississippi, on Monday, saying Tehran had initiated the conflict and arguing that its expanding missile capabilities left Washington with no choice but to act.

“We didn’t start the war with Iran. Iran started the war with us,” Trump said, linking the confrontation to decades of hostility dating back to Iran’s 1979 revolution. The current war, however, began when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, after which Tehran retaliated.

Trump praised Iranian weapons development while boasting about U.S. military attacks. “Iranians make great weapons. They are very smart people, but we beat the shit out of them,” he said.

He pointed to Iran’s use this year of a ballistic missile with a range of roughly 4,000 kilometers, saying it had effectively demonstrated an ability to reach Europe. Trump then warned that Iranian missiles could eventually threaten U.S. cities including San Diego and Los Angeles.

Iran has demonstrated missile ranges capable of reaching much of Europe, but current U.S. intelligence assessments do not establish that Tehran possesses an operational intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the continental United States.

Trump also dismissed an earlier ceasefire with Iran as “a waste of time” and acknowledged that he had expected oil prices to rise much more sharply because of the war. “We really had no choice,” he said.

Turning to the economy, Trump rejected criticism of his trade policy, declaring: “Tariffs don’t cause inflation. They cause success, growth, and jobs.” U.S. inflation has risen during his second term, and economists and government data have linked tariffs to higher prices for some imported goods.

Trump also said Canada was “dying to make a deal” with Washington and again recounted a conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, praising her voice and appearance.

The rally was held to support Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms. Trump was briefly heckled during the event and responded: “Go home!”