President Donald Trump on Monday declared that the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran is already “ahead of schedule,” projecting confidence as “Operation Epic Fury” entered its third day.

Speaking during a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House, Trump delivered an update on the operation, which began early Saturday morning with coordinated strikes targeting Iranian leadership and key military infrastructure.

“We have the strongest and most powerful, by far, military in the world, and we will easily prevail,” Trump said. “We’re already substantially ahead of our time projections, but whatever the time is, it’s okay. Whatever it takes.”

The president said the operation is expected to last four to five weeks but emphasized that U.S. forces are prepared for a longer campaign if necessary.

“We have capability to go far longer than that,” Trump said.

According to Trump, U.S. and Israeli planners had projected four weeks to dismantle Iran’s senior military leadership. He noted that objective was accomplished in roughly an hour.

“We also projected four weeks to terminate the military leadership,” he said. “And as you know, that was done in about an hour. So we’re ahead of schedule there by a lot.”

“We will easily prevail,” he said. “Whatever it takes.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was among between five and 10 top Iranian leaders killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran during the opening phase of the operation.

U.S. forces have deployed Tomahawk cruise missiles, B-2 stealth bombers and attack drones in a 24-hour blitz striking more than 1,000 Iranian targets. The strikes reportedly focused on ballistic missile sites, military installations and infrastructure deemed to pose an “imminent threat.”

Officials told Fox News that Israel’s campaign is concentrated on eliminating Iranian leadership figures, while U.S. forces are prioritizing missile capabilities and broader military assets.

Earlier Monday, War Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined what he called a “clear” three-part mission, stressing that the operation has defined objectives and rejecting comparisons to previous prolonged U.S. conflicts in the Middle East.

“We set the terms of this war from start to finish,” Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon. “Our ambitions are not utopian. They are realistic, scoped to our interests and the defense of our people and our allies.”

Hegseth insisted the conflict “is not endless,” signaling that the administration views the campaign as a contained and mission-driven operation rather than an open-ended engagement.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)