At a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on November 11, Donald Trump said the United States did not start the war with Iran, arguing that Iran had been waging war on America since 1979.

That account conflicts with the article’s timeline: the current conflict began in February with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran under Operation Epic Fury.

Trump said the United States had fought back and “won,” though it still had to decide when to end the war; he called for “total victory” and described roughly seven months of conflict as involving only a few weeks of active fighting and 18 American deaths.

Pentagon figures cited in the article put the U.S. toll at 23 service members killed and at least 865 wounded in connection with the Iran war.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration could pursue its objectives through economic pressure instead of more strikes, pointing to sanctions and a naval blockade as measures weakening Iran.

The remarks came after Democrats gained control of both chambers of Congress, amid public skepticism: an AP Election Day survey cited by The Independent found about six in 10 voters considered the decision to use force against Iran wrong.

Other polling showed opposition as well: a Pew Research Center survey found 65 percent disapproved of Trump’s handling of military action against Iran, while a YouGov survey found 43 percent opposed the war and 60 percent opposed sending U.S. ground forces to Iran.

Disabled Army combat veteran Nick Paro said the administration had broken public trust, criticizing the war as built on a lie, economically damaging, harmful to alliances and lacking congressional authorization.

Marine Corps combat veteran Adam Dunigan said Trump’s use of military traditions distracted from what he viewed as the administration’s failures at home and its handling of the war.

Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins attended the ceremony; Collins said veterans’ service underpins Americans’ rights, freedoms and way of life.

Trump honored veterans of World War II, Vietnam, Afghanistan and the 1983 Hezbollah attack on a U.S. barracks in Lebanon, including 103-year-old Cpl. Jack Myers, Vietnam veteran Col. Douglas Moore and Army Sgt. Ryan Hendrickson.

Trump also promoted a planned 250-foot gilded triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, drawing objections from veterans groups and preservationists over its impact on the historic view and traffic; a federal judge has temporarily paused construction, and the Kennedy family has filed a separate lawsuit.