Donald Trump expressed surprise at Iran's attacks on neighboring countries, stating that no one expected this to happen. He also reiterated that the war will end soon, although not within this week.
On 16 Mar 2026 GMT+7, Donald Trump, President of the United States, once again expressed surprise at Iran's initiation of retaliatory attacks against countries in the Persian Gulf region, in response to US and Israeli strikes.
When reporters asked if he was surprised that there were no reports of Iran possibly attacking neighboring countries, Trump replied, “Not at all. Even the most skilled experts did not think they would dare attack. Those countries cannot exactly be called friendly, but they seem to be neutral. They have coexisted for many years.”
Iran has launched retaliatory attacks on several Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait, resulting in dozens of fatalities.
Additionally, President Trump gave a rather broad and vague timeframe regarding the duration of the war with Iran, after reporters asked whether the US would be able to conclude the war within this week.
“I don’t think so, but it will end soon, not long from now,” Trump said. “The world will be much safer when this is over, and it will end soon.”
. cnn