US President Donald Trump has suggested that American military action against Iran may have gone too far, while maintaining that the strikes have severely weakened the country’s military and eliminated several layers of its leadership.
Speaking at a midterm campaign rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, on Wednesday, Trump claimed that Iran’s navy, air force, radar systems and anti-aircraft capabilities had been destroyed. He also described the impact of the strikes on the country’s senior officials.
Joint US-Israeli attacks launched on February 28, the first day of the conflict, killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, alongside several senior military and security figures.
“Their first level leaders are gone. They pick the second level. Their second level leaders are gone. They pick the third level,” Trump told supporters.
He then appeared to express regret over the scale of the campaign, saying: “I probably went a little too far. I’m sorry, because I don’t know who the hell we’re dealing with anymore.”
Trump further claimed that Iranian officials had asked him not to target more of their leaders and that he had agreed to their request.
“They made me promise not to take out anymore, and I did. I promised that,” he said.
Despite the continuing hostilities, Trump predicted that the conflict would soon be over.
“That’s going to end very soon,” he told the rally.
The president’s comments come as the war becomes an increasingly significant issue for his administration ahead of the November midterm elections. A Pew Research Center poll released on October 8 found that 65 per cent of respondents disapproved of his handling of US military action against Iran, while 33 per cent approved.
The same poll indicated that most Americans expected the conflict to continue for at least another six months.
Rising oil and petrol prices have added to the pressure on households, creating further challenges for Republicans seeking to maintain their control of Congress.
Trump Says Government Leakers ‘Should Be Shot’
At the Arizona rally, Trump also called for severe punishment for people who disclose sensitive government information, saying, “In my opinion, leakers should be shot.”
He made the remarks while discussing unauthorised disclosures of government information, including details concerning the timing of strikes against Iran.
“In the old days, we used to shoot leakers, you know?” Trump said.
He went on to describe those responsible for leaks as “the scum of the earth” and insisted that they should be “dealt with very, very strongly.”
Trump Announces Energy and Semiconductor Investment Deals
Trump also used his Truth Social platform to publicise major investment commitments in energy and semiconductor manufacturing, presenting them as evidence that his economic policies were attracting capital and creating jobs in the United States.
He said Taiwan had committed to purchasing between $70 billion and $80 billion worth of liquefied natural gas from the proposed Alaska LNG project over 20 years. He also announced a potential Taiwanese investment of up to $4.4 billion in the development.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs confirmed that state-owned CPC Corp. intended to purchase six million metric tonnes of LNG annually and could invest as much as $4.4 billion in the project.
However, the ministry said the specific investment arrangements, ownership stakes and other terms would depend on further negotiations and commercial procedures.
“Specific investment arrangements, equity stakes and related terms will be determined through subsequent negotiations and commercial contract procedures,” the ministry said in a statement.
Reuters reported that it had not been stated whether a binding sale-and-purchase agreement had been signed.
Trump also described South Korea’s previously announced participation as a $50 billion infrastructure investment. Seoul, however, had previously said its involvement in the Alaska project had not been finalised.
Separately, the president announced what he described as a $21 billion investment involving semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries to establish two new manufacturing facilities in Malta, New York, with funding from Japan.
Trump said the project would generate 27,000 construction and supply-chain jobs, alongside more than 1,000 highly skilled manufacturing positions. The facilities are planned for Malta, north of Albany, and the company expects construction of the first plant to begin later this year.
GlobalFoundries chief executive Tim Breen said the initiative would bring together American and Japanese support to expand semiconductor production in New York.
“This is a bold new initiative for semiconductor manufacturing, bringing together the United States and Japan with GF’s differentiated technology and decades of manufacturing expertise to accelerate trusted capacity in New York,” Breen said.
“GF was selected because fabs of this scale require more than capital. They require differentiated technology, operational excellence and a proven ability to execute. That combination is what positions GF to make this first-of-its-kind initiative a success.”
Trump praised the Alaska LNG development as “the GREATEST Project in Alaska History,” adding that it “only happens with me in the White House.”
He also described the semiconductor announcement as an “ALL-AROUND HUGE WIN FOR AMERICA” and referred to himself as a “great Businessman President” overseeing “the Greatest Economy in the World.”
The announcements came amid growing public dissatisfaction with the cost of living. An Associated Press-NORC poll released on Wednesday found that only 17 per cent of US adults approved of Trump’s handling of living costs.
A Reuters/Ipsos survey also found that about 78 per cent of Americans blamed administration policies, including tariffs and the war with Iran, for rising prices.
Economic concerns intensified after the Labor Department reported that consumer prices increased by 0.6 per cent in September compared with August, while annual inflation reached 3.7 per cent, up from 3.4 per cent the previous month.
Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose by 0.3 per cent during the month and 2.6 per cent over the year. Petrol prices climbed by 9.1 per cent in September, accounting for more than half of the monthly increase in consumer prices.
The figures represented the final Consumer Price Index report before the November 3 midterm elections.
Arizona and Montana Rallies Put Republican Midterm Campaign in Focus
Trump’s campaign appearances in Arizona and Montana on Wednesday also highlighted the importance of the final weeks of the midterm election campaign as Republicans seek to protect their congressional majority.
Arizona is the only presidential battleground among Trump’s recent campaign stops. The president won the state in 2016 and 2024 but lost it in 2020, making it an important test of Republican support.
In Arizona, Trump is backing longtime ally Representative Andy Biggs in his bid to unseat Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs.
He is also scheduled to travel to Montana’s 1st Congressional District to campaign for Republican Aaron Flint, a former aide to retiring Representative Ryan Zinke. Flint is contesting the seat against Democrat Sam Forstag in a district that generally favours Republicans, although it is less securely Republican than Montana overall.
The rallies come as Republicans face a challenging midterm environment. The party has redirected resources away from some competitive House races and reduced expectations in several Senate contests.
Trump’s campaign push is intended to mobilise Republican voters as his party confronts the historical tendency for the president’s party to lose seats in Congress during midterm elections.
