Trump says U.S. ‘stopped’ Iran’s nuclear program and repeats claim Tehran started the conflict decades ago

President Donald Trump told supporters at a campaign rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, that the United States had already stopped Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, while repeating his argument that Washington did not start the current conflict.

“I want you to remember something very important. America did not start the war with Iran,” Trump said. “Iran has been waging war on America since 1979.”

Trump also mocked Democratic calls to impeach him over the war.

“They say, ‘We’re going to impeach Trump for trying to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon,’” he said. “I said, ‘No, no, take the word trying out. We’re stopping Iran. We stopped them.’”

He again claimed U.S. forces had destroyed Iran’s navy, telling the crowd that Iran previously had 159 ships.

“They had a lovely navy, 159 ships,” Trump said. “I was a little angry at my people. I said, ‘Why didn’t you save the damn ships? They were pretty good.’”

Trump has repeatedly said all 159 Iranian naval vessels were destroyed during the war, but that figure has not been independently verified and U.S. military officials have not publicly documented the destruction of every ship he cites.

The president also attacked Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed during the same rally, saying Black or Jewish voters who support him are “not smart.”

Trump separately joked about First Lady Melania Trump telling him to stop dancing on stage, recounting her saying: “Darling, you’re the president. Think about other presidents.”

A separate exchange about rapper Nicki Minaj potentially becoming White House press secretary came from another interview, not the Daytona rally. Asked about the idea, Trump replied: “That’s a good idea. I’ll have to think about that.”