President Donald Trump expressed elation over the success of military Operation Epic Fury at a meeting with G7 leaders. He claimed the operation has been so successful that Iran is unsure about its leadership, leaving the country unable to surrender.
In an exclusive report from Axios, the president held a virtual meeting on March 11, 2026, in which he said the Islamic Republic is on the verge of surrendering. Three officials from G7 countries were reportedly present on the call. The report continued that Trump was as confident about the outcome of the military operation in private as he is in public.
People living in Lebanon, Israel and Iran have shared their experiences with CBS News Middle East Contributor Courtney Kealy, as war with Iran continues.
President Trump has said again that the war will end “soon,” whenever he decides it should, as Iran says it’s ready for “a… pic.twitter.com/yjwCjxwL0n
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 13, 2026
However, he took his confidence up a notch by boasting about the positive outcome of Operation Epic Fury. Trump told the allies, “I got rid of a cancer that was threatening us all.” He reportedly confirmed that Iran was on the verge of surrendering, but said no officials with authority to formally declare surrender remained alive in Tehran.
He reportedly said, “Nobody knows who the leader is, so there is no one who can announce surrender.” Surprisingly, Trump was non-committal about a precise timeline for the conclusion of military operations.
Trump said the main question he is working on is timing, refraining from giving a deadline and emphasizing, “We need to finish the job,” referring to preventing them from having nuclear weapons or a war in the next five years.
BREAKING: US oil prices erase losses and turn positive on the day, now back above $97/barrel, as the Trump Administration does not provide a timeline on when the Iran war will end.
We are nearing $100/barrel as the US appears to have lost control of the oil market again. pic.twitter.com/Ss4Ht0LcjO
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) March 13, 2026
Trump also used this opportunity to mock Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, calling him a “lightweight.” He made clear the U.S. would not accept Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as Iran’s next supreme leader.
In the same report, the call with the G7 leaders took place amidst their rising concern over the economic consequences of the war. The leaders had urged the POTUS to end his military campaign soon, emphasising that the Strait of Hormuz must be opened soon. Trump said the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is improving and that commercial ships would soon resume passage.
Two officials on the call said Trump mocked Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, for initially refusing to allow the U.S. to use British bases to attack Tehran. “You should have proposed it before the war — now it is too late,” Trump allegedly said.
